


Trading Places

by Bondopoulos, kmd0107



Series: Trading Places [1]
Category: Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: Identity Swap, Veronica Mars Holiday Gift Exchange 2015
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-14
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-04 11:48:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 158,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5333030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bondopoulos/pseuds/Bondopoulos, https://archiveofourown.org/users/kmd0107/pseuds/kmd0107
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Veronica was an Echolls and Logan was a Mars?  AU where Veronica, daughter of movie stars Lynn and Aaron Echolls, moves to Neptune December of her Junior year to escape her father and meets the cute sheriff’s son.  Logan Mars falls for the new girl and gets a lot more than he bargained for.  Mac, Wallace, Lilly and more!</p><p>A little holiday present from us to you!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. On the first day of Christmas, my father gave to me...a brand new school far away from his infidelity

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [(FanMade Cover) Trading Places](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11172015) by [AlinaSorokina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlinaSorokina/pseuds/AlinaSorokina). 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hi Everyone! We're glad you stopped by and decided to check out our 'little' holiday story (ie 150k words written in three months). Here is how this happened: "hey have you ever read a story where Veronica is an Echolls and Logan is a Mars?" "No but I like it" "me too" "it could be at christmas" "Think we can write it by then?" "sure". What Bondo and KMD discovered - we're crazy, LOL! Our personal favorite was "it could be short" HAHA! So without further ado, here is where that little conversation took us.

**Chapter 1: On the first day of Christmas, my father gave to me...a brand new school far away from his infidelity**

* * *

**Early December 2004**

Veronica sat on the cool flagstone patio that surrounded the pool of the Echolls' Hollywood Hills estate. Her room was packed and all that was left was for her to stay out of the way of the movers and her dad—

"Veronica, honey, come back inside," Veronica's once beautiful and now overly 'improved' mother called.

Veronica stood slowly and made her way back into the house.  _Should have gone to the pool house_ , she thought as she trudged up to her mother.

"Don't look so glum, sugarplum." Lynn pinched her cheek. "You'll like Neptune; you used to love spending summers there when you were little. Think about it—you can be whomever you want to be in a new town."

"I'll still be the daughter of the illustrious Lynn and Aaron Echolls," Veronica replied, sullen. "That's all anyone cares about, anyway."

"Oh, honey, I know it's been rough. Maybe Neptune will be different; it's not far, but it's a whole other world once you get outside the LA bubble. And you aren't a little kid anymore."

"Wasn't that the problem?" Veronica replied, bitterness lacing her words.

Her mother's expression faltered before she continued, "Maybe you'll make friends who'll get to know you for you; it's a normal public school with  _boys_ ," Lynn smiled conspiratorially, leaned in close and whispered, "And your father will still be here in the city most of the time."

Veronica smiled for the first time in days.  _Yes, he would be. Maybe I can finally have some room to breathe._

"How about you and I get out of here? The last few weeks have been rough. I think make-overs might be just what we both need." Lynn wrapped an arm around Veronica's shoulders.

Veronica twirled a length of her long blonde hair around her finger.  _A change sounds just right._

"Thanks, Mom. You just made my day."

* * *

**Friday, December 3rd**

When Veronica entered the lot of Neptune High, she was surprised when she passed a collection of motorcycles and beat up rice rockets that were at least ten years old.  _Well this is what you wanted isn't it, Veronica? To be far away from LA and its snotty private schools?_  That wasn't to say that Neptune was poor, exactly. She just wasn't used to mingling with people of different socioeconomic backgrounds at school.  _A town without a middle class. What a concept._

Veronica parked her brand new, bright yellow BMW M3 convertible near the front of the lot next to a black Escalade and hopped out. Not sure which direction to walk in, she followed the sound of voices until she saw a crowd of people surrounding the flagpole.

_Wow, people at this school really take the pledge of allegiance seriously,_  she thought as she pushed her way through the crowd amidst whispers of 'Who'd that guy rat out?' and 'The biker gang'. When she got to the center of the crowd, she saw a young black man duct taped naked to the flagpole with 'SNICH' painted across his chest.

_Who are these people? They can't even spell._ "Isn't somebody going to cut him down?" she asked the blonde surfer who was currently taking a selfie while posed with the 'snich'.

"Yeah, I'll do it. I wanna be the guy up there tomorrow," was the surfer's sarcastic retort.

Veronica paused in shock for a moment, unsure of what to do or what she had gotten herself into. _Did I move to Neptune, California or am I on planet Mars? Maybe I should have fought to stay in LA after all?_

"Okay, everyone; step aside!" Veronica turned to see a tall brunette in an orange plaid shirt making his way through the crowd, an open pocket knife in his hand.

Veronica, still unsure of what to make of the situation, stayed rooted to the spot as the crowd began booing.  _Are we seriously going to have some kind of gang war right here on my first day?_

The brunette gave her a once over, sizing her up in a long look, before he stepped around her to cut the duct tape holding the 'snich' up. "Show's over, people. Feel free to carry on with your meaningless consumer-driven lives." The brunette kept his eyes on hers as he spoke, but she wasn't sure if he was talking to her or the crowd. He turned to the boy on the pole and spoke to him. "Wow, man. Capture The Flag isn't supposed to require adult supervision."

"Sorry to put you out,  _man_. Where were you twenty minutes ago? Just cut me down already!"

The brunette turned back to her and raised his eyebrows expectantly, "Unless you know of something that will remove duct tape adhesive, I'd say you're dismissed. Mush!" He made a shooing motion with his hands.

Veronica flinched, unused to being spoken to in such a way. Usually people kissed her butt. She decided to respond in kind. "Yeah, I hope you manscaped properly. Brazilians are a bitch. I can recommend an aesthetician if you aren't happy with the results," Veronica called out as she took off toward what she hoped was the front office.

Before she reached the doors, she had a change of heart; she did know how to remove duct tape less painfully. She reached into her messenger bag and pulled out a small bottle of baby oil.

"Hey!" she called back to the guys, "Catch." She tossed the bottle at the tall brunette. "Let it sit for at least two minutes. It'll still hurt, but you know...less."

Not waiting for them to respond, Veronica picked up to a jog to get to the front office before the next bell rang.

* * *

Logan pulled his button-down off and handed it to Wallace. "At least it covers up the important parts. Do you have extra stuff in your gym locker?" Logan asked while guiding Wallace into the school through a less used side entrance.

"Yeah. I've got some sweats and stuff. Let's get this over with." Wallace sighed in resignation as they entered the locker room.

Logan held out the small bottle of baby oil. "I guess just…" he gestured to where the tape's edge was pulled away from Wallace's stomach.

"Right. She said two minutes. You don't think she'd give me something that would make it worse, do you?" Wallace asked, staring down at the tape with apprehension.

"How should I know? I don't know her." Logan shrugged his shoulders.

"Do you live under a rock, Mars? She's Aaron Echolls' daughter—dating Conner Larkin. Come on Logan, I've seen you watching Access Hollywood with my mom."

Logan felt blood rush to his cheeks...so maybe he had watched some bad celebrity gossip with Alicia, and maybe he did recognize Veronica Echolls. "Doesn't change a thing. So her dad's famous for making terrible movies and her mom did some good stuff when she was young. But that doesn't tell us anything about Veronica Echolls." He rolled the 'r' as he said her name. "In fact, I know less about her now than before. Why would a celebutante know anything about removing duct tape adhesive? And who carries around baby oil?"

"Dunno." Wallace grimaced and then pulled on a piece of tape. He jumped as a bit of tape pulled that apparently hadn't gotten enough oil on it. "But I definitely think you should ask her. Still hurts, but not too bad. Gimme some more of that stuff."

Logan handed back the bottle. "I'll leave you to it then."

Wallace waved Logan off as he poured more baby oil between his skin and the tape. Logan chuckled at the sight, and then left the locker room. This was turning out to be a pretty interesting day.

* * *

Veronica looked down at her schedule on her way to third period and groaned in disgust.  _Pre-calc? I got an 'A' in this last year_ , she thought as she slowly made her way into the classroom.

"Over here!" a perky blonde called as Veronica looked for a seat. Veronica checked over her shoulder to make sure the blonde wasn't gesturing to someone else.  _Nope. She's talking to me. She must be a fan...oh, goody!_  Veronica groaned inwardly and headed to the open seat the girl was pointing at.

"Veronica Echolls. I'm Lilly Kane. I'd heard you were here and was worried we wouldn't have any classes together since you're a grade lower, but here we are!" Lilly smiled brightly and leaned in, "Too bad it isn't a better class. Ugh, I'm only taking this because Vassar requires four years of math."

Veronica did her best not to say something snide. "Actually, I've already taken this class. But I guess there wasn't a Calculus class available with the way they set up my schedule. So you're going to Vassar next year?"

Veronica looked up as the teacher approached her desk. He introduced himself as Mr. Laskey and handed her a textbook before he returned to the front of the classroom and began the lesson. The moment the teacher assigned them some problems to try on their own, Lilly continued their conversation as if they hadn't been interrupted.

"Yep, I'm going to Vassar. My parents wanted to me to go to Stanford, but that's way too close to home," Lilly lowered her voice, "and Vassar has this cool Independent Program where I can design my own degree. But enough of that. So tell me who else you've met."

Veronica stared at Lilly, somewhat bewildered. First she'd mocked taking math, but she was clearly excited about going to college. Veronica decided to hold off on making any decisive opinions regarding Lilly Kane for the time being.

"Well, I think your brother was in my last class. I know there was mention of someone else with the last name Kane."

"Oh, Donut. Yeah, let me guess, he looked at you strangely and didn't say anything."

"Pretty much. I met Shelly? And a Caitlin?"

"Shelly's dad is the ambassador to Belgium. Actually she and Madison are co-hosting a party next week. You have to come. And Caitlin...don't waste your time; she's a vapid whore. I can't believe anyone still speaks to her—"

"Ladies!" Mr. Laskey interrupted Lilly. "Less talking, more problem solving."

Veronica turned in her seat and looked down at her textbook.

"Veronica, eat lunch with us today; and tonight there's a bonfire. I expect to see you there." Lilly gave a little squeal of delight. "I just know we're going to be the best of friends."

"Okay."  _Well Veronica, sounds like more of the same ol' same ol' fun and games that you're used to. Maybe all high schools are like this...you've seen one, you've seen them all._

* * *

Veronica sat down in her last class of the day, Drama. She'd been hoping to have one with the tall guy who got the 'snich' off the flagpole, but apparently it wasn't meant to be. She did however have classes with both of the Kane heirs, the grandson of Gant Publishing and a few other 'important' people. It turned out that the blonde surfer from that morning was the son of some real estate mogul. He was in one of her morning classes and his name, aptly, was Dick.

She wasn't at all amused when she saw him enter the Drama classroom five minutes late and take a seat next to her. "So Ronnie, what'd ya think so far?"

"Too soon to say, Richie," she replied snarkily.

"It's Dick," he corrected her.

_This guy just doesn't catch a hint,_ she sighed, "I know, just like how I told you earlier that I don't go by Ronnie…" At his confused look, she gave up and changed the topic of conversation. "So, Dick, this morning—the kid on the flagpole and the guy who cut him down, who are they?"

"Kid on the pole—" Dick paused to snort "—get it 'on the pole'." Veronica shook her head, but waited out his laughter. "That was Wallace Fennel, he's our star basketball player or whatever. And the guy who cut him down is Logan Mars. Kind of a scary dude, if you know what I mean."

"Not at all, Dick."

Dick shrugged, "Live here long enough and you will."

* * *

"Hey, Logan! Check this out." Wallace held out a wrinkled sheet of colored paper.

Logan accepted the paper from his best friend and considered the series of symbols.

"You want to crash an 09er party after the morning you just had?" Logan asked, incredulous.

"Sure, why not? Lilly Kane is always giving you those 'come-hither' looks. I bet we could crash and no one would kick us out. Basketball season starts soon and you know—you know—my skills are legendary." Wallace ghost shot a free throw.

"Sure, Barkley. Whatever you say," Logan snarked.

"Barkley. Really Logan? C'mon at least go Jordan or you know this century with Kobe," Wallace complained.

"Whatever Skee-loo. Anyway, what would I want with Lilly Kane? She'd just want to use me to upset her parents—me being from the wrong side of the tracks and all. And I like my women more…"

"Homely? Reserved? Wait, let me guess...more flat chested," Mac teased, her arm wrapping around Logan.

Logan leaned down and kissed the top of her head, "I was going to say more badass and less sparkly, but actually now that you mention it, anything more than a handfu—umph."

"Do not finish that statement." She mimed elbowing him again. "So we going to this party?" she asked, snatching the paper from Logan.

Logan turned to Mac, " _You_ want to go?"

"Maybe." She smiled coyly.

"Is there someone that you want to see that will be at this party? Have you discovered a geeky computer lovin' 09er?" Logan teased.

"I'm taking the fifth. But I do think we should go. Wallace needs to work on improving his purity test score." Mac winked at Wallace.

"When the girl's right, the girl is right!" Wallace declared, holding out a fist that Logan and Mac both ignored.

* * *

Veronica looked around the beach party. It was exactly what she'd expected and everything she didn't want to be a part of anymore. Kegs, bonfire, rowdy teenage boys. So typical. So predictable.  _I should have talked Conner into meeting me instead,_ she sighed, accepting a Solo cup from one of the girls in Lilly's entourage.

"So, Veronica, you must be used to much more glamorous parties than this. Ya know, being from Hollywood," cooed a bleach bottle blonde with a nasally voice.

"I guess...Morgan?" Veronica guessed.

"It's Madison," the blonde sneered.

"Oh, right." Veronica looked around the group; there had to be someone more interesting to talk to, more well-rounded. Someone here had to care about more than lip-gloss and Cosmo. The brunette from the flagpole flashed through her mind for a moment, but she quickly pushed the thought out of her head.

"Madison, don't be so annoying. The teenagers aren't the ones having glamorous parties, that's old people stuff. What I really want to know about are the clubs! Maybe we could all have a girls' weekend up in LA. Do some shopping...maybe meet some boys. Yay, shopping trip. How about tomorrow."

Veronica noticed that when Lilly Kane spoke, everything was a statement rather than a question. The girl exuded charm in a way Veronica was all too familiar with. Lilly would have fit in perfectly with all her LA friends. Friends she had willingly left behind.

But, on the other hand, in her limited time at Neptune High, Veronica had figured out that being friends with Lilly could have its advantages. At the very least, Lilly kept things interesting. And, while Lilly Kane wasn't whom Veronica had envisioned herself setting up an alliance with in her efforts to reinvent herself, she was really the first person that had reached out to Veronica at all since she'd arrived.

"Sure, Lilly. The next time my dad's away we can all go stay at our beach house. We can have the place to ourselves."

"Why do we have to wait for your dad to be away? I'd love to meet him." Lilly actually purred.

"Oh. Me too." Madison tried to copy Lilly but sounded like she was gurgling.

Veronica shook her head. Everyone wants to meet Aaron Echolls. 'You're so lucky, Veronica', 'I wish I had your dad, Veronica'. Suddenly she felt nauseated.

"I'll be right back," Veronica announced. She hopped down off the hood of the car she'd been sitting on and walked as fast as she could down the beach and away from the firelight. She was so focused on her escape that she smacked straight into a hard chest. She would have fallen over if it weren't for the big warm hands that wrapped around her, steadying her.

"Slow down there, Speed Racer." Veronica looked up into a set of warm brown eyes. The brunette from the flagpole that morning: Logan.

"Sorry, I um…" she stuttered, still needing to get away.

"Oh, it's you. Purveyor of baby oil and Brazilian wax advice." He paused slightly, his face searching hers, and for a moment she'd have sworn that he could read her mind. "It worked by the way—the oil. I'm sure Wallace would like to thank you." He smirked at her, suddenly his easygoing self again.

Veronica recovered quickly as well. "As long as he doesn't want to return the baby oil...I know where it's been."

He smiled and laughed. "So do I. And let me tell you, I wish I didn't. I'm Logan by the way." He held out his hand.

Veronica hesitantly accepted his hand, "I know. I'm Veronica."

Logan smiled softly, "I know." His hand lingered on hers a bit longer than was necessary, and Veronica felt little sparks of electricity from the contact before he abruptly pulled back.  _Did he feel that, too?_

"So, how do you like Neptune?" he inquired.

"Um...so far it's okay. I like…" she started to open up and then cut herself off. She didn't know this guy, and she didn't share personal information. Veronica turned away from Logan slightly.

"Hey, it's okay. I was just trying to be friendly." The funny thing was, she thought he was telling the truth.

Veronica didn't know why, but she found herself wanting to know more about him.  _Say something, already, Veronica. He's being nice._

"Thanks," she looked back at the crowd and then back at Logan. "So I know I'm new here, but this doesn't really seem like your scene. Most of the kids back there were gawking at your friend on the flagpole rather than cutting him down."

"Well, you wouldn't think so, would you? But I've lived here almost all my life and my dad is the sheriff, so that has a certain cachet," Logan said, looking back at the bonfire.

"Indeed," Veronica tried not to look surprised.  _The sheriff's son, huh? Duly noted._

"I know it's not as cool as say…being the son of famous actors, but he's great. My dad I mean." It was hard to make out his expression in the dark, but from his tone Veronica could tell that Logan and his father were close.  _What a concept_.

"No, that sounds nice," she admitted.

After a pregnant pause, it was Logan who spoke up. He looked at her cup, "You're about empty; want to head over to the keg and get a refill?"

"Sure, I guess." Veronica tried to smile. As reluctant as she was to head back into the heart of the action, she felt herself drawn to him.  _Pull yourself together, Veronica._

Veronica turned back toward the fire and felt Logan's hand on the small of her back as he guided her to the kegs. Veronica wasn't sure what to say, so she let the slightly awkward silence continue.

Logan reached for her cup and started to fill it. They were closer to the bonfire now, and Veronica could see his features more clearly. She admired the easy smile that graced his handsome face. She found herself tongue-tied. It was an unfamiliar and exciting sensation.

A shrill voice cut through Veronica's reverie.

"Low-gan, fill me up, too." Madison said, thrusting her cup into the space between Veronica and Logan.

_Okay, I'm really starting to dislike this girl._ Veronica sighed in disappointment at the sight of Madison and Lilly. While Veronica may not have said much to Logan yet, she wasn't ready to invite others into the small space they had been occupying. She'd enjoyed his presence and had felt a connection building between them that was filled with potential. Exactly what that potential was for she wasn't entirely sure, but she wanted to find out, and there was no way that would happen with these girls between them.

Logan handed Veronica her cup and accepted Madison's, filling it quickly and without care.

"It's all foamy." Madison frowned.

"Careful, Maddie, if you keep frowning like that your dermatologist will have to work overtime to fix those wrinkles," Lilly jibed at Madison. "Logan, dear, if you don't mind..." Lilly held her cup out to Logan who accepted it with an exaggerated sigh.

"Ever your servant, Lilly." Logan's response was crisp.

"I hope you're taking good care of our new friend, here." Lilly stepped closer to Logan. Veronica watched as Lilly pressed her chest into Logan's arm. Much to Veronica's surprise, Logan did not look happy about it.

_Could she be any more obvious?_  Veronica wondered.

"I was sure trying to, Lilly." He handed back her now full cup and stepped to the other side of the keg closer to Veronica.

Veronica looked back and forth between the teens in front her. There was an undercurrent of something there, but she couldn't be certain what exactly it was.  _Is there something between them?_  she wondered.  _There's clearly a story there, but what?_

A hand landed on Veronica's shoulder, causing her to jump.

"Thanks, Veronica. You really saved my ass this morning with that baby oil...literally. I'm Wallace Fennel, by the way. I figure a formal introduction is appropriate." Wallace winked at her. Then he looked intensely back and forth between Veronica and Logan as if trying to read the situation.

Wallace's genuine smile and obvious gratitude should have put her at ease, but his hand on her shoulder sent a shiver up her back. She wasn't real big on strangers touching her, and despite her efforts, she couldn't get over her distress. She shrugged his hand off of her nonchalantly, trying not to let it show how uncomfortable she suddenly was.

"Um...right. Anytime. Glad to help."  _Get a grip, Veronica; he's just being friendly_. She took another slow breath, but a small tremble shook her shoulders.

Madison and Lilly had started quizzing Wallace about the upcoming basketball season, while Veronica was trying to get a grip on her response to Wallace startling her. She continued to block them out until Logan's whispered voice brought her back to the present.

"Here." He had unzipped his hoodie and was in the process of pulling it off, "Are you okay?" He wrapped it around her shoulders.

Veronica inhaled deeply as she snuggled into the warm sweatshirt, "Of course. Just a little cold. Thanks." She wasn't actually cold at all, but the gesture and his smell were comforting.

He continued to watch her closely, but much to Veronica's relief, he seemed willing to let it go. Though she suspected he was the observant type, so he probably naturally took note of unusual behavior.  _Son of the sheriff_ , she reminded herself. Veronica looked down at her full Solo cup and decided that this whole night had been a bad idea.

"Hey guys, you know I think I'm going to skedaddle. I'm pretty tired." Veronica faked a yawn.

"Okay, Veronica Echolls, but we have a date tomorrow! I'll text you in the morning." Lilly leaned in and kissed Veronica on each cheek.

"Night, everyone." Veronica handed her cup to Wallace and moved away from the group toward the parking lot. It wasn't until she was almost to the asphalt that she realized that she wasn't alone. Veronica turned to see Logan walking just slightly behind her. "Whatcha doing?" she asked, trying to keep her tone light.

"Escorting you to your car like the gentleman that I am." Veronica could just barely see the smirk on his face in the fading firelight.

"Liar. I bet you just wanted to get away from the 'mean girls' back there," she teased.

"You wound me. I can't be chivalrous?" he asked, clasping his heart.

Veronica had stopped walking and looked him over as he stood there in that ridiculous dramatic pose. "Chivalrous enough to leave Wallace back there with the sharks, maybe." Veronica laughed.

"Nah, I sent him off to save Mac from Madison's boyfriend, Dick." Logan responded. "See! That's chivalry, right there. Are you convinced now?"

"I'm not sure. Logan Mars, son of the county sheriff. Your credentials suggest you could be honorable, but the look in your eyes makes me think you're trouble."

"Can't I be both?" He stepped closer to her.

Veronica's heart started to beat faster and she knew it was time to make an escape. She turned and started walking to her car again. After a moment, Veronica heard Logan's footsteps behind her again. At her car, Logan stepped in front of her and opened her door. She quickly slid into the seat and looked up at him.

"Thanks for the gallantry, Sir Galahad." She realized that she was still wearing his hoodie. She started pulling her arms out, but his hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Keep it," he said warmly.

"You just want an excuse to see me again," she tried to joke.

"Yes." He shut her door and stepped back, "Goodnight, Veronica. Drive safe."

"Goodnight, Logan." She started the car and backed out. When she glanced back, she saw that Logan was still watching her drive away as she pulled out of the parking lot.

* * *

**Saturday, December 4th**

Veronica trudged into the LA beach house on Saturday evening. She and her mother had mostly lived in the Hollywood Hills house, which had now been sold, but they also had a smaller house in Pacific Palisades close to the water. It was in this house that Aaron was planning to spend most of his time, and Veronica knew that was because it was easier to sneak other women in and out of. Hell, he could just go down to the beach and pick up some aspiring model or actress and be done with it.  _Wham, bam, don't let the door hit you on your way out, ma'am_ , she thought darkly. She wondered where Trina would be staying when she was in town now. Surely the stab Trina was taking at Broadway would be short lived, just like that movie in Australia.

"I just love this house. It's so big!" Madison squealed.

"Yes, yes, Madison, we've already heard you. You love this house." Lilly rolled her eyes and winked at Veronica. "So, Veronica Echolls, fill us in on the nightlife. I assume we're going to get to meet Conner," Lilly stated with twinkling eyes.

"Oh, well, there are plenty of places we can go. Give me a few minutes and I'll call Conner. He'll get our names put on at a few different places." Veronica felt a wave of relief as she quickly grabbed her phone as she made her way through her bedroom suite to the small balcony that looked out at the ocean over the Pacific Coast Highway.

"Hey, babygirl! How was shopping with the girls?" Conner asked when he answered her call.

Making sure no one could hear her, she replied, "Miserable. Lilly...as in Lilly Kane, insisted we go to La Perla to pick out lingerie. You'll be pleased to know she picked out some very boosting bustiers for me that apparently will drive you mad."

Conner laughed out loud. "Well, I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Though I think they might be put to better use on the sheriff's son you mentioned."

Veronica snickered, "Yeah right. You think Aaron would tolerate me dating a middle class sheriff's son? For all his talk of humble beginnings…"

"Hey, I know, V. I'm sorry I mentioned it. Let's talk about happier things. Do I get to see you tonight? And meet these horrible girls?"

"Oh, they aren't horrible; just…"

"Gluttons in this consumer era." He laughed.

"You make a living off them, and you know I do enjoy the  _occasional_  purchase. Though, if I have to spend any more time discussing the pros and cons of Fred Segal versus Ron Herman…"

"You'll cut a bitch? You know some people think that girl time is a good thing."

"Some people think caffeine enemas are a good thing," Veronica deadpanned.

"How  _is_  Trina?"

They both laughed until Veronica's cheeks hurt.

"Okay, okay. Enough of that. The  _girls_  want to go out tonight and honestly I'd like to leave the beach house before Aaron gets here. What's fun tonight? Can you pull together a small group of people to meet us?"

"Of course, anything for you. I'll get Gigi to makes some calls. You want dinner, too? Are you thinking super pretentious or just like fun and good?"

"You know my preference."

"What about Gyu Kaku? I'm over at Fox right now, so that one is close for both of us. But would your friends be willing to  _slum_  it in West Hollywood instead of the Beverly Hills location?"

"As long as you bring some hot, straight guys and we go to a couple of good clubs afterward, I think they'll forgive it." She tried not to snort.

"It's 5:00 p.m., lemme call and I'll text you with our reservation. Think they can be ready by 7:00 p.m.?"

"Dear God, I hope so."

* * *

Logan walked into the sheriff's station the same way he always did, like he owned the place.

"Hi, Inga!" he greeted the receptionist and continued past the front desk toward his father's office in the back. He turned back to gesture impatiently for Wallace and Mac to follow him.

"Hey, Pops, you in here?" Logan called out as he stuck his head into the break room for a quick peek. It was empty.

Logan turned around to see Deputy Lamb approaching them. "Keep it down, okay? Some of us work here."

"Are you the only one here, Donnie-boy? Have you seen my dad?"

"He's in Booking. We finally got the Peterson kid to confess, so everyone else just left. It's just him and me tonight. And it's Deputy Lamb at work, Logan. You know that."

"Lighten up, man." Logan smiled and then did his best to look contrite. "Okay, you're right. I shouldn't undermine you at work." Logan instantly saw that Lamb was appeased. "Would you like some pizza? There's plenty to go around." Logan gestured to Wallace who placed the box of pizza on the break room table and opened it up. Lamb smiled from ear to ear.  _Like taking candy from a freakin' baby_ , Logan thought. "Hey, save a piece for my dad. He's armed and potentially dangerously hungry," Logan said with a forced chuckle. "We're gonna go get sodas from the machine."

Logan immediately closed the break room door and nodded to his friends. Mac went back to strike up a conversation with Inga.

"Oh, Inga—I've been meaning to ask about Trixie and Bud," Logan heard Mac lead in.

"Oh, they're wonderful! Trixie just had puppies. There's still one left…"

Logan didn't waste any time. He ran to his dad's office and took the spare set of keys from their hiding place and gestured for Wallace to follow him into the evidence room, carefully opening one of the doors of an interrogation room to block the camera's line of sight.

"Look, I dunno if we should be doing this, man. This is serious." Wallace clearly was having second thoughts.

"No more serious than you pissing off Weevil and his guys. This is one time we have to take matters into our own hands." Logan held his hand out expectantly.

"Okay, okay," Wallace groaned as he grabbed the blank VHS tape out of his backpack and handed it over.

It took Logan a moment to find the evidence file containing the Pac-N-Sac surveillance tape. When he did, he switched it out for the blank one Wallace had brought and closed everything up.

"Hurry, man, your dad could be back any second!" Logan swung the cage door of the evidence locker closed and they hastily retreated back down the hall. Logan re-hid the keys in the sheriff's office and both boys took off back toward the break room. Just as they arrived at the front desk where Mac and Inga stood talking, Keith Mars came bounding in from the holding area, looking tired but satisfied.

"Hey, kids, I didn't know you were coming by tonight."

"We brought you dinner, Sheriff," Mac spoke up. "Pizza."

"Yeah, Dad. It's in the breakroom." Logan added, gesturing to the closed door with a nod of his head.

"Pizza! Perfect. I hadn't even realized how hungry I am; we've been working so hard today." Keith's smile was contagious. Logan knew that look all too well.

"I take it you caught him, Dad?"

"You bet your ass we did. He couldn't keep quiet for more than two minutes. He thought I was working up a whole case against him, but really I was just sitting in there writing a grocery list. You should have seen him squirm. Who's your daddy?!" Keith's voice crescendoed, and by the end of the statement he was reaching to high-five Logan.

"Ugh, I  _hate_  it when you say that," Logan groaned.

"Technically, Logan, he might  _not_  be your daddy. You've got almost two feet on him. My money's on adoption! I mean look at your hair — it's almost like the two of you are completely different species." Mac grinned.

Logan couldn't help but laugh,  _If only she knew how many times I wondered that same thing a few years ago. But I'm all Mars, through and through, and I've got the paperwork to prove it_ , Logan thought proudly.

"Very funny, Mac." Keith was laughing, too. "No, Logan got his height from his mother's side."

At the mention of his mother, Logan felt his happiness wane. He couldn't stop himself from deflecting. He turned to his friends. "He claims that he had hair in the 1970s. I have yet to see photographic evidence, however."

Wallace, apparently, couldn't take a hint. "I don't remember Lianne being tall. Was your mom tall?"

"How would I know? She's been gone so long that I hardly remember." His statement was followed by a long pause.

"So, pizza! Thanks so much, guys! Is there enough for Don and Inga?" Keith sounded jovial again.

Logan took the opportunity and followed along. "Yeah, of course. Sorry, Inga, help yourself. Lamb's already in there." Logan smiled and forced himself to not dwell on his messed up family. He and Wallace had just scored a major victory.

Logan turned to Wallace and gave him a meaningful glare.

"Oh, Sheriff, Mac and I have got to get going." Wallace nodded at Logan before turning back to Keith.

"So soon? Don't you want any pizza?" Keith asked through the slice he was biting into.

"Oh no, thanks though. Mac and I have to finish a project for World History." At Wallace's comment, Keith looked expectantly at Logan, who in turn scowled at Wallace. "Logan already finished his. He's so on top of things! He's really an inspiration to the rest of us, Sheriff."

This had everyone in the room in stitches. Even Logan couldn't help himself. "You're a terrible liar, Wallace," Mac said through her laughter.

"On that note, I'll see you all later." Wallace turned and pulled a still laughing Mac out of the break room and through the station. Logan hopped up and followed after them.

"Nice work there, chuckles." Logan gave Wallace a playful shove as they walked down the corridor.

"Got me out of this office with the contraband. I don't wanna hear another word about it. So, Dog Beach at 8:00 p.m.?" Wallace confirmed.

"I'm coming, too." Mac was never one to be left out.

"Of course, Mackie; we're a team," Logan winked. "I'll call Weevil. Don't be late!"

Logan closed the door behind his friends and jumped a mile when he turned to see his father standing ten feet away, looking serious.

"Did you need something?" Logan asked, slightly concerned.  _What did he hear?_

"Wallace and Mac are like an open book. Did you really think you were going to get away with that?" It was clear to Logan that his father was going to stand there until he got an answer.

Logan began to wrack his brain, looking for a way out of getting in trouble. "Look, I can explain. Wallace was—"

"Covering for you, yet again. I know. So you really thought you could manage this hand-off by yourselves?" Keith approached Logan.

_Hand-off? Wow, I don't think I give him enough credit. He's good!_  Logan would have been more impressed if it weren't for the fact that he was about to be grounded to the end of the century. "Listen, I had to do it. I had to do something after—"

"Logan, I don't mind you having a hobby. But this is getting out of hand. These are criminals, Son! These cases should be handled by the professionals. You can't just go to the beach at night alone. This isn't Bayport; you and Wallace aren't the Hardy Boys. And now you're involving Mac!"

_Wait, what?_  "Wait a minute. Let me get this straight. You're mad at me because I'm going without you tonight?" Logan was truly baffled. "I thought you'd be way more pissed off about me and Wallace—"

"Not involving me from the start? Yes. If you would just tell me about these things, I could help you. I get that you want to help Mandy, and that's admirable, but you should have included me in this whole dognapping business from the get-go."

Logan finally exhaled the breath that he had been holding.  _Dognapping! Mandy!_

"I assume you've got a lead. So, spill." Keith's voice sounded final.

Logan theatrically buried face in his hands in an effort to hide his beaming smile and pass it off as disappointment at having just been busted.

"We think that someone is taking the dogs and returning only the ones that have a high reward. We were going to try to get Chester, Mandy's dog, back tonight." Logan peeked through his fingers at his father, trying to gauge if Keith was buying the story.  _I almost have him._  "It'll be fine. Mac is going to keep Mandy calm."

"I don't like it. I want you to stay out of things when they get past investigating." Keith's words were harsh, but his tone was soft. Logan instantly felt bad for lying. He hadn't worked Mandy's case at all since things had gone sideways for Wallace.

"I will, Dad. I'm sorry." Logan's guilt was genuine.

"All right, kid, I love you. And I'm proud of you. You are a great investigator, and those are  _my_  genes at work there. I can see you as Sheriff one day."

Logan damn near teared up at his father's words. "Hmm...I see myself as more of a ruggedly handsome PI type. I think I'm more cut out for taking down millionaires rather than answering to them," Logan answered truthfully.

"Well that may be true. All right, I should be home by 1:00 a.m., and I'd better see you safely tucked into your bed, sound asleep, when I get there." Keith pulled Logan in for a hug and then stepped back and held his son at arm's length by the shoulder. "And, Logan?"

"Yeah, Dad?" Logan looked down to meet his father's eyes.

"When you meet these dognappers at the beach tonight...take Backup!" Keith smiled and reached up to ruffle Logan's hair.

"I always do!" Logan chuckled and hugged his dad again.

* * *

A few hours later, Veronica found herself at Skybar with two very whiny Neptunian debutantes.

"I want to go dancing!" Lilly said a little too loud for comfort, considering the chill atmosphere.

"I thought we'd be meeting celebrities," Madison added.

"Conner's friends are all celebrities," Veronica sighed. She could feel her patience waning when her cell phone started vibrating. She frowned. "I have to take this."

Veronica walked away from the group over to a slightly quieter corner, "Hi, Dad." Veronica cringed when she said the word.

" _Veronica. Harvey just got a call asking if you were out in West Hollywood. I said 'no my daughter is in Neptune now'. And then he texted me a picture of you at Skybar…_ "

"I called and I left a note at the house. I'm in the city shopping with friends and visiting Conner." She kept it simple.

" _Well, maybe you should move to a place that is more appropriate for your age–I don't want you on a cover with Lindsay Lohan_."

Veronica shuddered. No, she didn't want that either. "You're right. I'll have Conner get us a limo and we'll go somewhere more age-appropriate." She felt familiar arms wrap around her, offering comfort.

" _Good. I expect to see you for breakfast tomorrow. Do not leave before we speak_." Aaron's voice was very serious. The line went dead.

Conner's arms tightened around her middle, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, but we need to go somewhere else. Paps must have seen us. Harvey called Aaron."

Conner nodded. "Okay, location change. And we're all staying at the beach house."

* * *

Veronica woke to mellow filtered sunlight coming into her room. She slowly sat up and found Lilly in bed next to her and Madison asleep in the big window nook. Careful not to wake anyone, Veronica tiptoed to the guest bedroom where Conner was sleeping.

She knocked lightly.

"Come in," Conner's familiar voice called.

Veronica pushed open the door and headed straight to the bed, crawling in next to Conner. She settled her cheek against his shoulder.

"Did you have have fun?" he asked softly.

"I guess."

"Has the cute sheriff's son called?" he asked, twining their fingers together.

"No, but I never gave him my number. I don't even know him," Veronica replied.

"Well that was stupid; how are you supposed to get to know someone if you don't share contact info. Veronica Echolls, have I taught you nothing about networking?" Conner laughed lightly.

"You'd think all my dad's lessons would have sunk in by now," Veronica said sadly.

Conner pulled her closer, "Don't think about it." He pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "I'm still not used to this."

"Do you not like it?" she asked, self-consciously touching her choppy short hair.

"I like it a lot. I was just surprised. It's sexy, I'm just used to you looking more…"

"Naive? Innocent? I'm neither of those things anymore."

"I'm not sure you were ever naive. But I was actually thinking more along the lines of young." Conner shifted until Veronica was looking into his eyes again, "You have to have breakfast with him?" She nodded. "Okay, we'll get up in a few. You'll put in your face time and then you'll get out of here. And please please please give the boy your number. 'Cause if you don't, I just might." Veronica couldn't help but giggle. "There's my girl. You kept his sweatshirt?"

She nodded.

"Good. Make him ask for it back. Spray some Promises on it." He kissed the top of her head, "He'll never be able to resist you."

"What would everyone say? I can see it now 'Daughter of Aaron Echolls stepping out on longtime boyfriend Conner Larkin with unknown tall, dark and handsome in Neptune.' You know I could never actually date him. Not that I want to, but…"

"One step at a time, babygirl, one step at a time. You know we could have a lot of fun with it. Like a super dramatic public breakup. You rip my heart out and I get a bunch of sympathy hookups off of it."

Veronica couldn't help but laugh, "Why do I have to be the bad guy?"

"Come on V, you know I can't play the villain. I'm the hero."

"My hero." She squeezed him tightly.

"You know it. Now let's get up and get this over with. I don't want you here alone with him, so the sooner you go down and 'talk', the sooner I can put your cute little ass back in that hot new car of yours and send you back to Neptune."

A knock on the door startled them both, "Veronica, are you in there?"

Veronica shared a look with Conner, who nodded with resignation, "Yes, Dad, come in."

The door burst open, and there stood Aaron Echolls in his latest fashion don't...faded blue jeans with matching jean shirt. He looked ridiculous.

Veronica sat up, "We were just getting up."

"What have I said about you two sharing a room?" Aaron looked livid.

"Sorry, Mr. Echolls, we were just talking. Veronica only came in to wake me up a few minutes ago," Conner responded contritely.

"It's a good thing I like working with you, Conner. I expect you both downstairs in five. Sophia is setting out breakfast now. Veronica." He held out his hand, a clear signal that she was supposed to follow him out of the room.

Veronica hesitated, but she knew that not doing as he wanted would only cause more problems later. She rolled off the bed and followed Aaron into the hall.

When the door clicked shut, Aaron grabbed her arm roughly. "What were you thinking, Veronica?" he hissed. "You think it's okay to bring a group of people up without speaking to me first? Take a bunch of underage girls you hardly know out clubbing? What if I had been entertaining?"

"Well, then you'd have had some 'splaining to do," she retorted, regretting it immediately as his hand gripped her tighter.

"You and that smart mouth of yours. You're lucky your friends are here or we'd be having a discussion about this in my study." Aaron abruptly let go of her arm, causing Veronica to lose her balance and stumble into the wall.

Veronica shuddered and nodded from where she leaned against the wall, "I'll get dressed and come right down."

"Bring your new friends. I want to see what type of people you're spending time with in Neptune," he ordered.

Veronica quickly escaped into her bedroom. She plastered a smile on her face, "All right, ladies. Breakfast is ready and my dad wants to meet you."

"I can't meet your Aaron Echolls with bed head," Lilly complained.

"Lilly, you're not meeting 'Aaron Echolls' movie star, you're meeting my dad. Just relax." Veronica spent the next five minutes pushing the girls to get dressed and was finally saved by a knock on the door.

"Is it safe to come in?" Conner called through the door, and Lilly and Madison shrieked.

Veronica walked to the door and squeezed through it. "No, it is most definitely not safe in there." She turned and called back through the door, "Hurry up, let's eat and hit the road." Veronica sighed and leaned her forehead on Conner's chest.

Conner gathered up her hands, "You got this. Let's go see what Sophia made."

Aaron was sitting waiting for them at the large dining room table, and as promised, there was a large selection of breakfast foods spread across the sideboard. Veronica and Conner quickly filled up their plates and joined Aaron at the table.

"Where are your friends?" Aaron asked.

"Nervous about meeting you. They're both still getting dressed," Veronica replied neutrally.

Aaron's eyebrows rose, "They're fans? Do you think they'd like a signed head shot?"

"I'm sure they would." Veronica nodded.

Aaron jumped out of his seat and practically danced his way out of the room.

"Ugh, I hate this," Veronica said under her breath.

"He loves meeting fans; it'll be fine and keep him distracted." Conner rubbed her knee under the table.

A few minutes later, Madison and Lilly appeared in the doorway, both looking impressively polished considering they'd only spent about fifteen minutes getting ready.

Veronica looked at Aaron to see his reaction and she did not like it. He was clearly checking both of the teenagers out and Veronica found it incredibly creepy. This was one of the many reasons she hadn't wanted to bring them up when he was home.

"Aren't you going to introduce us, Veronica?" Aaron asked, bumping her foot with his own under the table.

"Of course, sorry. Madison Sinclair, Lilly Kane, this is my father Aaron Echolls."

Aaron stood up and greeted each of the girls with a bright smile and a two-handed handshake. "It is so lovely to meet Veronica's new friends. She mentioned that you were both fans."

"The  _biggest,_  Mr. Echolls," Lilly flirted.

"Please, call me Aaron. No need for such formality." It took all of Veronica's self control not to snort.

Veronica spent the rest of breakfast trading snarky comments with Conner and pretending not to notice that her father was obviously hitting on a sixteen and seventeen year old.

"Well, we should really be going," Veronica said, seeing the time and knowing that Conner had a fitting he needed to get ready for.

"It was lovely meeting you both," Aaron smarmed. "I thought you might each like a signed head shot." He held out the signed photos.

Veronica watched as Lilly let her hand linger longer than was appropriate on Aaron's arm. Veronica turned away and headed up the stairs to grab the last of her belongings, not wanting to see anymore of her father interacting with Lilly and Madison; it was disgusting.

Conner helped her load up all their things and waited by the car while Veronica, unhappily, went back in to say goodbye to Aaron.

"Well, Dad, it was nice having breakfast together. Guess I'll see you next time you're in Neptune." Veronica tried to keep her tone pleasant.

"Yes, and next time there'd better be some more warning when you're coming up. I know you and your mother have hatched this little 'move to Neptune' scheme to keep you out of my way, but if you don't keep your nose clean I'll make sure you're back in LA so fast your head'll spin."

"Yes, sir."

"Good; I like your new friends, so maybe it wasn't a completely terrible idea."

"I'm glad you approve." She looked down at her watch, "Okay, I need to hit the road. I've still got homework when I get home."

"Fine, fine. Drive carefully; that thing you picked out is practically a paparazzi beacon." Aaron waved dismissively as he left the room.

Veronica turned on her heel and threw open the door, coming face-to-face with Madison.

"Oh, sorry, were you looking for me?" Veronica asked.

"Ye-yeah, we're all ready to go." Madison fumbled over her words.

Veronica put on a smile and lead the way back out to the car. Madison got in and Veronica walked over to Conner.

"That go okay?" Conner asked in a low voice.

"Yes." She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, "I miss you."

"I miss you, too. I'll try to come visit next weekend. We have an audience...Hollywood kiss?" he asked.

"Take my breath away," she whispered and Conner bent her back and kissed her. To anyone looking, it was a passion-filled mini makeout session, but the truth was something else entirely. Conner pulled away and placed a chaste kiss to Veronica's lips before opening her car door and saying goodbye.

* * *

Logan sat at his desk bouncing back and forth between a celebrity gossip page and the pictures he'd taken of the 'lost dog' reward posters from the park. Logan stared at the pictures of Conner Larkin with his arms wrapped around Veronica Echolls; Lilly Kane and Madison were in the background.  _She has a boyfriend, a famous actor boyfriend. What were you thinking flirting with her at the bonfire?_  Logan sighed heavily and turned his attention back to the dognapping of Chester. Despite what he'd told his father the previous night, they'd actually been at a standstill with the case. From the calls he'd made earlier in the week, all the dogs with high rewards had been returned, but each person he'd spoken with gave a completely different description of the person who returned the dog.

He drummed his fingers on the desk with one hand and clicked a pen with the other.  _thunk-thunk, click-click_

"You considering taking up percussion?" Logan spun in his seat to see his dad watching him.

"Yeah, I thought you and I could be like The White Stripes; you'll play guitar and I'll be the drummer," Logan quipped.

"I take it that last night didn't go as planned?" Keith asked.

"No, wrong dog." Logan hated lying, but he'd be dead meat if his dad knew what he'd really been doing last night.

"You'll get it. Now come have some breakfast and tell me everything you know. Maybe another mind on the case will help."

After a full breakfast of pancakes and bacon, Logan explained what they'd discovered and waited while Keith considered the information.

"I think you're right, Son. It's too big of a coincidence. You know, whomever is behind this could be using other people to drop off the dogs and get the reward. It'd be easy to give someone a small cut for their services. That person might not even be in on the scam."

"Interesting. And all those people should be able to tell us who had them return the dogs. That's great, Dad." Logan stood up from the table grabbing their empty plates. "I need to assemble the team. We've got work to do."

* * *

**Monday, December 6th**

Veronica looked at her schedule again and scoffed. She'd made it through the first two classes of the day and now it was the mid-morning break, but if she was honest she was dreading her next class. They'd put her in pre-calc but at her old school she'd been in Calculus. She liked math, and taking the same class over again wasn't something she wanted to do.  _What idiot thought having me in Drama was more important than putting me in the right math class...oh that's right, my dad_. Friday had been her first day at Neptune High, and it had taken her all of five minutes in Drama to know that it was the last place that she wanted to be. Her schedule left a lot to be desired.

Veronica shut the door of her locker with a little too much force and it slammed. She was halfway to Pre-calc when a realization hit her.  _I don't have to take Drama if I don't want to. Dad won't know for months, and by then it will be too late._ Her face lit up at the thought.  _I could take something that I actually enjoy! And then maybe they can get me into Calculus, too._ The beautiful nearly-new SLR digital camera that Conner had gotten her for her birthday flashed in her mind.  _No freakin' way. I can take Photography!_

She practically skipped off to the office, trying not to get her hopes up too much until she spoke with the registrar.

Before she could reach the office, however, Lilly, with an entourage of Madison and some other nameless, faceless, rich mean girl blocked her path.

"Veronica Echolls, just the girl I've been looking for," Lilly cooed. "Thanks for the fab weekend. Everything was amazing. It was just what I needed in terms of both lingerie and fun."

"Yeah, no problem. It's nice to have new friends." Veronica realized that it was true. Lilly, Madison and the girls weren't any worse than her friends from LA. She could work on more genuine connections in the upcoming weeks.

Lilly pulled her arm and brought Veronica in close. "So, I know it's the middle of the year and all, and tryouts were like," Lilly rolled her eyes theatrically, "forever ago. But, we're all on pep squad and thought you might like to join us."

Veronica swallowed back the bile rising in her throat. She'd been a cheerleader back in middle school in LA. She'd begged off in high school because she travelled with her mom so much.  _Okay, what excuse have you got in your bag of tricks this time, Veronica?_

Lilly must have seen a tell-tale look of distaste on her face, because she cut in before Veronica could think of a single thing to say. "I  _know_  what you're thinking, but pep squad isn't like cheerleading, or anything that requires much actual….effort. Pep squad gets together and bakes cookies before big games..stuff like that. We do  _occasionally_ ," Veronica scoffed at that word, but Lilly continued, "put together cute cheers for our teams, but it's low-key. Hardly any coordination is necessary. Just ask Madison here," Lilly indicated Madison, who looked liked she was positively fuming.

"But,  _Lilly_ , she just moved here. And, like you said, tryouts are long over," Madison said through gritted teeth.

_This can't be good_ , Veronica groaned.

"Yes," Lilly replied, staring down her friend, "but tryouts are just a formality that we use to keep undesirables out. And Veronica is not of that ilk."

"But you made me wait two whole years before you let me on the squad," Madison was practically yelling now.

"Exactly!" Lilly replied, flipping her hair over her shoulder and pulling out her lip gloss.

_Oh God, Veronica. Figure out how to back out of this one. Hallway politics suck. You can't just say 'no', but there's no need for them to start World War III when you don't even want the part._

"Oh...I—" she started.

"Wait!" Lilly reached out and held her arm up like a policeman directing traffic, "Don't answer right now. There's a practice after school today. Just come and check it out." Lilly didn't wait for an answer. "Perfect, I'll see you at lunch or in class, but I can't wait to introduce you to the rest of the pep squad girls. They're going to love you as much as we do!" Lilly squeaked when she spoke, visibly bubbling with excitement. Madison and her clone looked murderous.

"See you then," Lilly sing-songed and then turned and disappeared into the crowded hallway.

Veronica sighed and sent her mom a quick text to explain that Lilly had commandeered her afternoon and that she'd be coming home late from school. She shook her head as she headed down the hall in the opposite direction and pushed her way into the school office.

The woman behind the front desk looked up at her as she entered. Veronica remembered her as Mrs. Finch who had given her her schedule on Friday.  _Time to pull out the ol' Echolls charm,_  she thought as she put on her brightest smile.

"Mrs. Finch! Do you remember me? You were so helpful Friday when I was roaming the halls like Moses lost in the desert. I really don't know what I would have done without you." Veronica did her best to look beholden.

"Ah, yes. Veronica Echolls. I'm glad I was helpful. What can I do for you today?" Mrs. Finch put down the work she'd been doing and gave Veronica her full attention.

"I was just looking at my schedule and hoped I could make an adjustment. I actually took Pre-calc last year, so if we could change that to Calculus, I'd really appreciate it. And, about my elective—"

"Oh, yes, I remember this now. I spoke to your father at length about your schedule." Mrs. Finch blushed a little. "Such an  _enchanting_  man. There was a conflict with Drama and Calculus, so he said—"

"Yeah, my dad is the best! He's always looking out for me," Veronica had to forcibly stop the gag that threatened. "But, you see, I took a lot of Drama in LA and was hoping to kind of branch out in Neptune. I've spent so much time on set with my parents and I was hoping to try my luck at something more  _behind_  the camera. Photography perhaps…" Veronica trailed off, hoping Mrs. Finch bought the story.

"Well Photography is a very popular elective at this school. There's been a waiting list since Fall. I could check on—"

Suddenly a commotion in the hallway caught the registrar's eye. "Mr. Clemmons!" she called out to the closed office next to her. "It's Navarro and Casablancas going at it again." When no one emerged from the office, she turned and shouted toward the back room, "Wallace!" Veronica turned expectantly and saw the guy from the flagpole striding toward the counter. "Wallace, use the course plan I showed you to find Miss Echolls, here, an open elective," she barked at him before she turned back to Veronica. "I have business to take care of in the hall. Wallace here will find you something and I'll register you when I have time." With that, Mrs. Finch took off through the office's outer door and into the hallway yelling "Mr. Navarro! Mr. Casablancas!"

Veronica turned her attention back to Wallace and let out the laughter she'd been holding in.

"This place sure takes some getting used to," she smiled at him.

* * *

Wallace was struggling to put the papers he held into alphabetical order by teacher. He'd had this job in the office all year and he still had trouble reading several teachers' handwriting. Attendance wasn't his favorite task, but he liked working in the office. It would look good on his college applications, and he needed all the scholarship money he could get. And the fact that it helped Logan get student records from time to time was just an added bonus.

Wallace heard Mrs. Finch call him up to the front and bark some orders at him before she stormed out of the office. He met Veronica's eyes and grinned as she began to laugh.

"This place sure takes some getting used to," she said.

"Oh, yes, Mrs. Finch is terrifying," Wallace responded with an exaggerated shiver. "So, what did you need?"

Veronica handed him her schedule. "I want out of Drama class. The halls of Neptune High are dramatic enough for me. She said something about checking Photography? And maybe I could get into an actual Calculus class, too?" Veronica smiled hopefully.

"Photography sixth period is totally full."  _She's cute; really cute if you're into tiny blondes, which I am. But the way Logan's been looking at her, I don't think I have a chance. Hmmm...though come to think of it, Logan has…_  Wallace had to hold back a smug smile at the scathingly brilliant idea that popped into his head.  _Maybe I should throw the two of them together. Logan's got it coming after how long he left me on that flagpole. Watching these two circle each other would be like watching a social experiment. Either they'll kill each other or be dating by Christmas._  "But…" Wallace drew out the word like he was preparing a great reveal, "there happens to be a spot available in third period Journalism. They need photographers sometimes." Wallace looked over the rest of her schedule and saw that with a little maneuvering he could put her in Logan's Calculus, Journalism, and World History classes. "You'd just need to swap to sixth period World History, which yours truly is in, and there's a first period Calculus. Journalism is third. Sound good?"

His heart beat a little faster at the huge smile that spread across her face. It was a genuine smile, rather than the teeth she'd been flashing earlier.  _Oh, Logan is in so much trouble with this one._ Wallace hadn't been sure until now, but he was beginning to think that Logan Mars may have finally met his match in Veronica Echolls.

"Journalism sounds perfect! So you'll set it up with Mrs. Finch?" Wallace noticed she was dancing a little bit, bouncing up and down. He half thought she was going to jump over the counter and hug him.

"Yeah, but it might take a while, so just go to your normal classes today. Finch'll have this all cleared up by tomorrow. I think this schedule will be a lot more...interesting for you!" Wallace couldn't help the smirk that spread across his face.

"I'm sure it will be, Wallace. Thank you." Veronica smiled and bounced out the door.

Once she was out of sight, Wallace pulled out his phone and sent a text to Mac.

**Wallace** : 'just spiced things up. lunch? i'm buying.'

* * *

_Well,_ this _is a complete waste of time!_ Veronica groaned inwardly as she stood next to the field and watched the girls struggle to get themselves into a line from tallest to shortest.  _It's December and they haven't figured this out yet?_  Madison clearly wasn't as tall as she thought that she was. Veronica laughed on the inside but kept a patient smile on her face. Overall it had been a good day, and she was determined to make the best of this situation.

_At least the mascot is cool_ , she admitted, looking at the pep squad uniforms. It could be worse...at her last school they were the Beavers. Which had been an unfortunate choice considering it was an all-girls school. The green pep squad outfits with the pirate were almost cute. She still wasn't interested in joining, however.

_Okay, Veronica, you have exactly twelve more minutes until this practice is over and you get to bow out gracefully._

Having finally lined up properly, the girls were attempting a simple grapevine step where their two lines had to mesh into each other.

"Hey, Veronica!" Lilly called over to her from the line. "Come join us."

_Here we go_.

Veronica reluctantly set down her bag and made her way over to the group. "Girls, this is Veronica Echolls. She just moved here from LA and I think she's a perfect fit for pep squad. Let's show her what we can do." Lilly turned back to Veronica. "Just join in since we're still learning." Then she whispered, "Don't worry, I'm kicking off Yolanda next week when you officially join."

Veronica's eyes got wide. "Oh, no. That's not necessary. I might not even have time to practice—"

"It's really no problem," Lilly winked at her and then pushed her into place between Yolanda and Madison.

"Now it's time for a pyramid. I'm on top as usual," Lilly announced and Veronica heard half the squad snicker.

"Hey, Veronica," Madison smiled sweetly at her. "A little help would be great."

Veronica hadn't done a pyramid in years, but she knew the basics. She moved behind the girls to try to boost Madison up, but once Veronica had given her a leg-up, Madison suddenly shifted. The force of Madison's weight sent Veronica backward and she tripped over another girl, spinning around to land on all fours just as Madison landed gracefully on her feet nearby.

"Oh, gosh! I guess Lilly was right about me and coordination. So sorry!" Madison held her hand out to help Veronica up.

Veronica waved off Madison's outstretched hand and got up onto her feet. She brushed off her scraped knee and turned to fix her gaze on Madison. Veronica narrowed her eyes at the girl, but couldn't get a read on her. Madison, did appear to be sorry, but Veronica couldn't be sure. "That's all right. Hazard of the sport, I suppose. I'd better wash off my leg, though."

Veronica brushed off Lilly's protest, grabbed her bag and quickly made her way into the school's main building.

Veronica took a wrong turn while looking for the central girls' bathroom and found herself outside the computer lab. There was a small group of people around the computers and she could hear laughter. She had just turned to head back down the hall when she distinctly heard her name. She paused and pivoted back so that she was facing the room, but took a half-step back to ensure that she couldn't been seen.

"Guess that's why she and her mother moved to Neptune. Looks like her dad is getting busy in LA and doesn't want them in his way," a girl announced. Veronica peaked her head in and recognized her as Carrie from one of her classes.

"You don't know that. Tabloids are always full of crap. It's probably all just made up." Veronica was not close enough to see the boy who spoke, but she thought it was Duncan Kane. "You remember all that stuff about my family and how I had run away—I was actually doing a UN internship."

They were all still occupied and Veronica decided to get out of there before anyone saw her. She'd check up on the tabloid when she got home and hope that Aaron wouldn't decide to come to Neptune to avoid the paparazzi.

* * *

Logan collapsed onto his bed. "Well that was a complete waste of time," he huffed.

"Not a complete waste," Mac chimed in, "We have a description: he's a 'dog man', he drives a white van, or maybe a white horse, and he likes to spank busty women."

"So basically, that's any male living in Neptune," Wallace countered, taking a seat at Logan's desk.

"I'll admit it isn't square one, but Mandy is going to be so disappointed. If it was Backup, I'd be breaking down doors, but she just looked so…"

"Defeated. Yeah. You'll figure it out. We're just missing something," Mac said.

"We should talk to those guys at the pound again. We can show them pictures of the guys from today; maybe we'll get lucky and they'll recognize one of them or the description." Even as the words were coming out of his mouth, Logan had no confidence in his own plan.

"Maybe what we need is to take a step back and let this new information marinate for a while," Wallace offered. "Let's call it a night; maybe tomorrow things will be different." Wallace looked pointedly at Logan.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" Logan asked. He was getting tired of Wallace's cryptic comments about the next day.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Wallace appeared all innocence. "Mac, am I looking at Logan in some unusual way?"

"Not as far as I can tell," she smirked.

_They are definitely up to something._  "Whatever it is you're thinking of doing, don't, okay? It's almost winter break and I'm looking forward to a couple of 09er-free weeks." Logan reached under his bed and pulled out a thick workbook, "See this SAT prep book. I have some quality time planned with it. No surprises." He looked at Mac. "And no setups!" Logan pointed at Wallace. "I've had enough of it. I'm not Mr. Darcy; I'm neither rich nor in want of a wife."

* * *

After overhearing the group in the computer lab, Veronica was in no mood to have to talk about her family's 'issues', or about anything else for that matter, with any of the pep squad girls. She slipped out to the parking lot and headed straight home. Much to her relief, there were no paparazzi stalking the house's outside gate.  _This is a nice change from LA_.

Veronica parked and headed into the house in search of her mother.

"Veronica, darling, I'm in the kitchen," Lynn's voice drifted into the entrance. Veronica dropped her backpack on the couch and took a seat at the bar that looked into the kitchen. "How was school? Did you have fun at the pep squad practice?"

Veronica was shocked. Her mother was sober and appeared to be making cookies. "School was fine. I changed my class schedule. Pep squad was not for me; one of the girls actually knocked me down while attempting to do a pyramid..."

"Oh my, are you all right?" concern narrowed Lynn's features as she walked out of the kitchen.

"I'm completely fine. It's just a little scrape and a bruise; nothing I can't handle. Though on that note, I overheard some people talking about Aa—I mean Dad. Have you heard anything?"

The look on her mother's face was answer enough. She had heard, and like all the other times, it meant they would have to play the roles of supportive wife and daughter. Veronica sighed. "Will he be coming down here to 'reconcile' with his heartbroken family?"

Lynn nodded, "Tomorrow night or maybe Wednesday morning; he wasn't sure."

"Great, just great." Veronica felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, and she pulled it out and checked the caller ID. "It's Conner."

"Go ahead, honey. I'm going to finish these cookies." Lynn smiled tightly, but she wasn't headed for the liquor cabinet, which was a solid improvement.  _We'll see how long that lasts after Aaron gets here._

"I am so sorry," Conner said as soon as Veronica answered the call.

"It's okay. None of us has control over Aaron. Mom just told me he'll be here tomorrow or Wednesday."

"I'll be there as early as I can on Friday. Call if you need me."

"I will. It'll be fine. I've kept a low profile here. No rocking the boat, just going to class and making a few friends. I haven't done anything to upset him...yet."

* * *

**Tuesday, December 7th**

Logan awoke the next morning to the sound of his father pounding on his door.

"Logan, this is your last warning. Up now, or I'm feeding your breakfast to the dog." Keith's threat was real. He had, in fact, fed Logan's entire breakfast to Backup the previous week when Logan had slept through his father's wake up call. What his father hadn't known at the time was that Logan had been up all night on the trail of Mandy's dognapper and trying to finish a lab report for Chemistry. This time, Keith apparently wasn't taking any chances. He opened Logan's door and flipped on the light before he retreated back down the hallway.

Logan's stomach growled, but he just threw his arm up to cover his eyes. He figured he had time for a few more minutes of sleep before his father made real on his promise.  _If I just lay here for thirty more seconds..._ he'd just drifted back off to sleep when his face was attacked by slobbery, wet kisses courtesy of his pitbull. Logan sputtered and spat as he wiped his face off with the sheet and shoved the dog off of his bed. "Backup, get out of here!" he ordered. Keith's laughter could be heard echoing all the way from down the hall.

Logan stalked down the hall and flopped onto the kitchen table in front of his plate of waffles and bacon. "You know, I think there are laws against torturing children. Seems to me like we've got a clear-cut case for 4th degree child abuse." Logan stabbed the waffle and bit a corner off without bothering to cut it.

"Lucky for me, that's a misdemeanor," Keith replied, setting a mug of coffee on the counter between them. "I think I can live with that."

"Maybe I could get you for corrupting a minor, too." Logan smiled at his father and took a sip.

"I'd hardly call Backup a corruptible minor. Besides, I just told him to give you a good morning kiss; it was his idea to drink the water first." Keith stole Logan's coffee and took a sip as he ate his own breakfast.

"By the way, Wallace called this morning, bright and early. I wish all boys your age were as eager to get to school as Wallace is," Keith stated.

_Well Wallace wasn't up all night planning a stakeout and catching up on homework,_  Logan mused. "What did he want?"

"He said to tell you something about having arranged a present for you and you're welcome."

"Huh? What the hell does that mean?" Logan said through a mouthful of food.

"Watch your mouth. And I don't know. I asked, but he said it was a surprise and you'd thank him later." Keith shrugged and swallowed his last bite of food. "It's Tuesday; you'd better get a move-on. Don't make Mac late again."

Logan nodded.  _Crap, I forgot it's Tuesday; I promised Mac a ride today._ His shower would have to wait until after school.

Fifteen minutes later, Logan hurried out his front door to find Mac waiting for him on the front stoop.

"Glad you could make it," she deadpanned as she followed him to his car car and slipped into the passenger seat. "Not that I don't enjoy morning cardio in the form of racing through the halls and dodging rich kids in an attempt to not be late for first period, yet again."

"That's me, always looking out for your general health and wellbeing." He paused for a minute, trying to not sound overeager. "So, is this present Wallace has for me nine months early or three months late?"

Mac gave him a blank look and then realization must have dawned on her because she smiled conspiratorially. "Oh, yes. I'd almost forgotten about Wallace's little  _rearrangement_."

"Yeah, feel free to spill the beans. Surprises aren't really my thing."

"Oh, this one will be. Suddenly I'm glad we live close to school, so you don't have time to weasel it out of me." Mac smiled. Then she giggled, actually giggled.  _This is serious,_  Logan surmised.

"So what's the deal with you and Beaver then. I saw you two talking at the bonfire before Dick accosted you. Come on, let's hear it, Mackenzie." Mac turned and glared at him.  _Ah, yes, that knocked the smug right out of you. Keep your secrets, Mac; Wallace and I are on to you._

Mac was saved from further torture, because a moment later, Logan pulled into the Neptune High lot and parked in his typical spot near the back. The two of them got out of Logan's SUV and walked into school together.

Logan spotted Wallace in the hallway on his way to his first class, but his friend managed to evade him. He just waved at Logan and then winked before he disappeared into the throng of people.

_Curiouser and curiouser._

When he walked into Calculus, he was surprised to see that his usual seat was taken by none other than Veronica Echolls.  _What did Wallace do?_ Against his better judgement, he felt himself drawn to her the way he was every time she was near. It bothered him. She wasn't in his plans. He'd made a place for himself in the delicate balance of 09ers and non-09ers. He'd managed to steer clear of their world while living amongst them, which was hard to do in a town like Neptune. Veronica Echolls threatened that balance, and he wasn't sure what to make of it. At that moment, all he wanted was for things to be back to the way they used to be.

He approached her and unabashedly set his books down on the desk she was sitting at, causing her to jump in surprise and look up at him. He felt bad for a moment; it hadn't been his intention to scare her, but then her eyes narrowed at him and his remorse quickly faded.

"You're in my seat," he bent down and moved her bag over to the empty seat next to her and patted the empty desk there affectionately. "This one's got your name all over it."

She huffed and looked up at him. "Are you seriously trying to tell me these seats are assigned?" Veronica clearly wasn't fooled. They had a staredown, and he was shocked when she gave in.

"Fine, I relent this once. Far be it from me to stand between you and academic excellence," Veronica snapped as she moved over two feet to take her new seat.

Logan hadn't actually expected her to move, he just hadn't known how to react when he'd seen her sitting there.  _She didn't have any classes with me on Friday or Monday. Not that I was looking for her or anything,_  Logan assured himself.

When the Calculus teacher told Veronica that she'd have to go to the library to get a textbook after class, Logan offered to share his own as a peace offering. She agreed, albeit reluctantly.

When the bell rang, Veronica snapped his book shut, pushed it over onto his desk, stood up and strode purposefully out of the classroom before he had time to get a word in.

_Nice work, Mars. This girl is the only interesting thing that has happened in Neptune since middle school and you just blew it because you were blindsided. Way to go with the flow._

* * *

Veronica left the classroom as quickly as possible after her run-in with Logan Mars. He'd been so nice at the bonfire that she'd thought he might be a potential... _something_. She suddenly missed Conner again. Things were so easy when it came to Conner.  _Logan Mars, on the other hand_ … She shook her thoughts back to the present. She'd been so excited about her new schedule that she'd gotten up early that morning in anticipation, and she was determined not to let his mood swings ruin her day.

AP English flew by and Veronica soon found herself on her way to Journalism. She'd resisted the urge to bring her camera to class today, not wanting to get her hopes up that she'd actually get an interesting assignment. She saw Duncan when she walked in and quickly crossed the room to find an open seat near the back. Just as the second bell rang, she saw a flash out of the corner of her eyes as Logan Mars ran into the classroom and took the only open seat in the room, which happened to be located next to hers.

"Do you need me to move again?" She gave him a hard glare and watched as he took a deep breath.

"Look, I'm really sorry for what I said earlier this morning. I was surprised to see you and and didn't get much sleep last night. I was trying to be, I dunno, funny or something. Can we start over?"

"Really? You were surprised? I find that hard to believe considering your BFF,  _Wallace_ , was the one who arranged this whole thing." Logan opened his mouth to respond, but Veronica cut him off. "How do you expect me to believe you had nothing to do with us suddenly having two classes together?"

"How could I? You weren't in my classes before today; I'm the one who's been here been here all year."

"So this isn't you and your friend's grand attempt to play yenta and throw the two of us together?"

"I can't speak for Wallace. I mean, he's not dumb; I sincerely doubt this was his elaborate way of getting you to return my sweatshirt."

Veronica couldn't help but snicker at that, but she kept it short. She was determined to get to the bottom of this. "So, can I expect to see you in any of my other classes? Wallace put me in 6th period World History with…" she checked her schedule, "Mr. Rooks. Should I save you a seat?"

Logan's eyes opened wide and then he ducked his head.  _At least he has the decency to look chagrined. Is it possible that he's really not be behind this?_  Veronica didn't believe in coincidence.

"Wallace is in there, too, if it's any consolation. And Mac. Along with like twenty-five or so other students." He smiled at her hopefully. "Is it really that bad? Having class with me, I mean. I promise not to freak out over which seat you take. I'm an excellent student; some people even find me charming."

"Well, after witnessing the Friday morning flagpole incident, I think it's safe to assume we both can agree that the students of Neptune High aren't the best judges of character. And, as far as you being charming, I think we've already exhausted that topic, as well." Veronica smiled up at him, but refused to let her guard down. Logan Mars was trouble with a capital 'T', and she wasn't going to let anyone screw up her chances of staying in Neptune. Even Logan.  _Even if he is cute, and clearly smart, and…_  Veronica caught herself thinking of him again. No, this wasn't good at all.

* * *

During sixth period, Mr. Rooks stopped class when an office aid arrived with a handful of office summonses. "Mr. Mars, Ms. Bishop, Ms. Echolls your presence has been requested by the Vice Principal."

Logan stood and headed for the front of the room, accepting the hall pass and leading the way to the office.

"Logan, what's the deal?" Carrie asked.

"Got me, but did you see that stack? If I were a betting man, my money'd be on locker searches." Logan shrugged.

"I thought you always knew about those in advance." Carrie sounded disgruntled.

_Another 09er thinking it's my job to keep them informed...kinda hope she has something in her locker that she shouldn't._

"Only if Wallace happens to be in the office when the calls goes out. It just so happens that these things are usually set in the morning—not this late in the afternoon."  _Why am I explaining this to her?_

When they reached the office, Logan spotted Deputies Lamb, Sacks, and the new guy— _Tomato?_ —in the office.

"D'Amato, you take the sheriff's son. It'll be good practice. Sacks, take Ms. Bishop; and I've got our town's newest celebrity," Lamb announced.

"Sending in the big guns this afternoon. I'm flattered," Logan quipped.

"Don't be a smart ass, Logan. This is serious," Lamb replied.

"Oh, come on, Don. We all know this is just an elaborate scheme to spend more time with me."

"That's enough Logan!" Lamb's response was terse.

Surprised at Lamb's stony-faced expression, Logan considered the group; Carrie was far more likely to be a problem, so why was Lamb handling Veronica's check? Logan took a moment to look at Veronica. He did not envy her having to deal with Don. Logan took a step toward Veronica and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Don can be an ass; don't do anything to provoke him. He'll haul you in for kicks."

"I'll keep that in mind," was her quiet reply before she followed Lamb out of the office. Logan hoped that, for her sake, she did.

"Okay, Mr. Mars, let's get this over with," Clemmons said, waving over the newest deputy.

"You got it, big guy." Logan walked out of the office and to his locker which was just around the corner. Over the course of the semester there had been so many locker inspections that Logan had started taking pleasure in screwing with his dad's deputies. Logan was pre-warned of the searches almost every time, so it gave him time to prepare. He knew that his dad was aware of his antics, but Keith didn't seem to mind little pranks being pulled on the less experienced deputies.

A wide smile spread across Logan's face. Even without the usual warning, he had a special treat for them this time.

"Open the locker," D'Amato commanded with Clemmons standing just behind him.

Logan spun the combination and let the door fall open as he took a step back, his arms opening wide as if to say 'welcome!'. Unlike most of his classmates, Logan didn't keep anything special like pictures in his locker, but after the last search he'd been inspired. Now in the center of the door was a heart shaped cutout of Vice Principal Clemmons. It looked like a Valentine, all decorated with red glitter.

"Wow. This is a little embarrassing," Logan said shyly, which elicited a laugh, disguised as a cough, from the deputy.

"The bag, too, Mr. Mars," Clemmons replied, his composure remarkably maintained.

Logan couldn't help but smile as he handed over his backpack.

D'Amato opened the bag and pulled out a red and white striped hat that was reminiscent of Cat In The Hat. He continued to paw through Logan's bag and finally gave up after finding nothing else of interest. "Nothing," D'Amato told Clemmons.

"There's a couple of suckers," Logan smirked at Clemmon's bemused expression and D'Amato's confused one, "In the bag—if you want one."

"That won't be necessary. Come on, Deputy. You didn't do to bad for your first try. Mr. Mars, you may return to class."

Logan saluted them and headed back to catch the end of Rooks' class.

* * *

Veronica followed the deputy out of the office and away from Logan.  _I don't get that kid. We've been snipping and baiting each other all day and then he offers me advice for dealing with a locker search?_

"Ms. Echolls, lead the way to your locker. Principal Moorehead will be observing."

Veronica nodded. She knew the routine, they had plenty of these back at her last school as well. She walked down the hall, stopped at her locker, spun the combination and stepped back.

Veronica stared agape as a cascade of blank IDs fell out of her locker. "Those are not mine."

Veronica looked up at the deputy; he had a smirk on his face and popped the gum he was chewing. "Manufacturing and distributing fake driver's licenses—that's a second degree felony."

"No! Wait a minute. Those aren't mine," Veronica yelled.

"Open your purse, too." The deputy held out his hand.

_Shit!_ Resigned, Veronica handed over her purse. The deputy pulled out her wallet and lifted out a small stack of cards.

"Driver's license for a twenty-two year old Veronica Echolls. Pepperdine student ID. Licensed massage therapist?" The deputy raised his eyebrows.

_Like I'm going to tell you why I have that one._  "Oh yeah,  _those_  are mine."

* * *

Veronica never did make it back to World History that day. The bell rang and there was still no sign of her. Logan was a bit disappointed. After their tumultuous morning, he'd wanted to end the day on a good note.

Bringing his thoughts back to the problem at hand, Logan turned to Mac and Wallace. "So what's the plan?" he asked as he packed up his things, hoping for a distraction.

"No plan. I've got practice and then work," Wallace answered as they left Rooks' classroom.

"As much as I love thinking about kidnapped dogs...dognapping...whatever, I actually have familial obligations this evening," Mac droned. "Ryan has some kind of school play or something that I was told I would be attending. But I think it might be helpful if you looked through the mug books to see if you can find anyone who matches the descriptions we have of the dog returners."

"Seriously? You want me to look through books of mug shots to see if I can ID anyone based solely off of descriptions?" Logan asked as they arrived at his locker.

"It could work." Mac grinned.

"Right, it could work, just like it almost worked when I pretended I didn't see the sheriff cozying up to my mom the other night," Wallace said.

"Lalalala...remember, we do  _not_  speak of it!" Logan stuck his fingers in his ears dramatically.

"No, the rule was we don't discuss it while we eat. We've already eaten lunch, and dinner is still several hours away," Wallace explained.

"Fine, fine. I'll go get a stack of mug shots and see if I can identify anyone who returned one of the dogs," Logan finished, grabbing what he needed for the night. "I'll see you two tomorrow."

Logan jogged out to his truck. He had a plan in mind: he'd drop by the station, see if he could talk the new guy into letting him have the new digital version of the mug book and maybe, just maybe if he was lucky, he'd be able to talk Mac into writing some kind of program to narrow down his search.

The drive to the sheriff's station only took a few minutes. Logan was amazed at how much the mission-style municipal building always evoked a sense of calm in him. Years of early mornings and late evenings spent in this building had made it more than a place he spent time...it was almost like he was coming home every time he arrived.

"Hey, Inga! So what's the word today?" Logan asked, smiling pleasantly at the middle-aged brunette who sat at the reception desk.

"You'll never believe it, Logan. They brought in the daughter of Aaron Echolls! She had fake identification in her locker at school," Inga said in a low voice while leaning over the counter.

Logan stood agast.  _They what?!_  "Do you mean Veronica Echolls?"

"Yes, she's in interrogation two. You're dad is still talking to Deputy Lamb and the Principal." Inga pointed toward his father's office.

"Thanks, Inga, I guess it's been an exciting afternoon." She nodded, and Logan took the lull in the conversation as his cue to leave. He gave Inga a small smile and wave as he walked past her desk and farther into the office.

The door to his father's office was shut, but upon further inspection Logan, realized that Keith was actually sitting in the break room staring at something on the table. Logan quietly approached.

"Hey, Dad," Logan said softly, "What are you looking at?"

Keith looked up from the small pile of white cards sitting in an evidence bag on the table, "Counterfeit California driver's licenses." Keith carefully made sure that the bag was sealed before he held it out to Logan.

"Are these what they found in Veronica's locker?" Logan asked.

"How do you know Veronica Echolls?"

"We have classes together. She helped Wallace out. We've...talked a few times," Logan answered non-committally.

"What'd you think? She seem like the type to you?" Keith inquired.

Logan shook his head, "Honestly, not at all. She's smart, Dad. And if you had asked me about her before  _this,_ " Logan waved at the fake IDs, "I'd have said she was more the keep-to-herself type. She was at the bonfire last weekend but she left early. She didn't drink and she barely spoke to anyone."

Keith nodded and continued to stare at the pile of cards, "You think she'd do this?" he indicated the cards.

"No. Did you dust them for prints yet?"

"Not yet, but we will." Keith sounded grim. Logan knew that his dad hated busting kids.

Logan stared into his father's concerned face. "Can I talk to her?"

"You know that's against policy."

"Policy, schmolicy...lemme talk to her. Just gimme five minutes; I promise to respect the laws of the land."

"Five minutes," the sheriff stated, shutting the door behind Logan.

* * *

Veronica rolled her head back and forth across her arms as she stared at the scarred table in the interrogation room.  _This is utter BS_ , she thought as she waited for daddy dearest's pet lawyer to show up.

"Well, if it isn't the famous Veronica Echolls caught with fake IDs and intent to distribute...poor little rich girl," a voice Veronica recognized spoke from the doorway.

_How did he even get in here?_ Veronica wondered.  _One would think that being arrested might, at the very least, buy one's self a little privacy. But, apparently, one would be wrong. This is Neptune, where Logan Mars feels free to waltz in for a little meet-and-greet visit right here in my interrogation room._ "What do you want, Logan? In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a little busy right now."

"As it so happens, Veronica, I did notice. I've made better fakes on my home printer and the laminator when Inga wasn't looking." He laughed as he took a seat across the table from her.

Veronica gritted her teeth, "Did you see that crap? I can afford better—hell I  _own_  better."

"I've seen better kindergarten IDs."

Veronica couldn't help but snort at Logan's comment.

"They aren't really yours, are they?" Logan asked.

"What do you think?"

"What do I think?  _I_  think that you've managed to make an enemy in," he looked down at a watch that wasn't on his wrist, "less than one week of attending Neptune High. That must be some kind of record."

"We Echollses do strive to stay ahead of the pack."

Logan nodded, "Any idea who might want to set you up?"

"Can't say that I do. Do you have any thoughts on the matter?" she asked.

"I might. What do you say I do a little poking around? I'm pretty sure they aren't going to actually press charges against you if they don't find your prints on any of the blanks," Logan said, fiddling with the bottom of his shirt.

"I hope not. If they don't press charges they can't suspend me. But at this rate, it may not matter; people were taking pictures of me being walked out of school in handcuffs. How much you wanna bet they're already gracing Page Six?" she sighed, feeling miserable.  _Aaron's going to kill me_.

"Maybe Lindsay Lohan will get another DUI."

"One can hope. So, let's recap. You'd really look into this for me?" Veronica asked him.

"Well, only if you ask nicely," he rebutted.

_Call me an LA cynic, but nothing's ever free in this world._  "And you'd do this...what...out of the kindness of your heart?" Veronica was skeptical.

"No, there's usually a fee for my services...but I think we can work out a family and friends rate."

"Is that what we are now?" Veronica cocked her head to the side and smiled up at him, "Friends?"

"Well, that remains to be seen. But I figure the new girl in town who has the balls to help out the kid on the flagpole deserves the benefit of the doubt."

Veronica was wracking her brain for a good response when a figure appeared in the door.

"Veronica, sweetheart, what happened? I brought Barry; he's out speaking with the sheriff right now." Lynn pulled her sunglasses off, revealing her concerned expression and then surprise. "I'm sorry I didn't realize anyone was in here with you," she said, walking up to Logan.

"I'm Logan Mars, the sheriff's son...and maybe your daughter's friend." Logan smiled, holding his hand out to Lynn.

"Hi, Logan. Lynn Echolls. Friend is it?" Veronica watched her mother inspect Logan. When she stepped out of Logan's line of sight, Lynn winked at Veronica. "Well, I'm always happy to meet my daughter's friends. Logan, maybe you could give us a minute." Lynn walked back around and smiled at Logan.

"Of course, and don't worry, their case is fuzzy and circumstantial." Logan winked at Veronica.

_What is with all the winking today_ , she thought.

"You know, the odd thing is that those were also his very first words…I've got a future high paid defense attorney right here," the sheriff chuckled, clapping Logan on the back. "All right, Son, you got your five minutes. Why don't you head home and I'll see you when I get there later tonight."

"Okay, Daddio. Catch you later, V." Logan waved as he walked out of the room.

Veronica waved back and found herself feeling jealous over the easy relationship that Logan seemed to have with his father. She was going to be in deep shit when her father found out about this. She just hoped that he wouldn't decide to ship her back to LA immediately.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you everyone for reading! Next chapter will post tomorrow :) And here are a couple of little fun things for you. The Beavers are the actual mascot of an all girls school attended by a sibling of one of the writers. And in a pinch baby oil really does help remove duct tape.


	2. On the second day of Christmas, Neptune gave to me...two Aaron encounters and a group of new buddies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter has VMficrecs December Fic Prompt Option Four - Dialogue Prompts 4A “Well, this is where I live.”

**Chapter 2: On the second day of Christmas, Neptune gave to me...two Aaron encounters and a group of new buddies**

* * *

**Wednesday, December 8th**

Veronica woke early. Aaron hadn't shown up the night before, and she was never one to look a gift horse in the mouth. She packed up her bag and high-tailed it out of the house just as the sun was rising over the hills to the east.

The previous afternoon had been far from the 'keep her head down' plan she'd had in mind. It had taken Conner more than an hour to calm her down enough for her to even consider going to bed. And, despite several serious contemplations to partake of the large bottle of vodka she had hidden in her closet, she'd remained sober.

The ocean was beautiful this early in the morning. Veronica had never been much of a morning person, but the idea of eating a breakfast burrito with the largest coffee she could find while digging her toes into the sand sounded just about perfect.  _One last good memory before tonight_ , she thought as she watched the waves crash and surge toward her.

She found a quiet spot that was sheltered by a small bend in the cliffs that stretched along the beach. Her spot wasn't directly visible from the main entrance but was still only a couple minutes walk from the public parking lot. The waves created beautiful barrels and she could actually see what she'd heard referred to as the green room.  _Light is a particle that can exhibit properties of a wave…_ the view of light being defracted as it travelled through the breaking wave was beautiful, and there was a certain poetry if she was willing to allow it.

"Come on! We only have like an hour!" A familiar voice called from her left. Veronica sat up and looked out at a small group of guys running into the surf. She was sure she recognized Dick Casablancas, Duncan Kane, and just behind them…

"Logan Mars, I do declare! I never thought you'd be the early morning type." Veronica whistled at Logan's lithe form as he stood still, watching the other boys paddle out.

"Well, Echolls, we can't all have personal trainers. How do you think the rest of us get abs like these?" His wet suit was still folded down, exposing his slightly defined abs and a trail of dark hair.  _Happy trail indeed, oh my God, Conner would kill me for a picture of this_. She couldn't help but grin as Logan walked to her rather than join the others in the water.

* * *

Logan got out of his less-than-new SUV after arriving at Ocean Beach. It was Wednesday, and despite growing apart just before freshman year of high school, Logan still often met Duncan and Dick for some early morning waves. There were few things that helped him gain perspective better than being out on the water. It was worth the early morning wake up even though on weekdays they were limited to beaches in town. He couldn't wait to get to Black's Beach with the guys this weekend. Winter was coming and the waves were improving every day. And Logan wouldn't pass up an opportunity to surf.

The slightly used, bright yellow Xterra completely fit Logan's personality, loud and in-your-face, but also functional and practical. He unclipped his board from the roof rack and started walking toward where he saw Dick and Duncan heading into the water. He was just about to jump in after them when he heard a voice call his name in a southern drawl.

Logan knew who it was even before he turned around. "Well, Echolls, we can't all have personal trainers. How do you think the rest of us get abs like these?" Logan couldn't help himself, he brushed his hands down his abs. Sure they weren't perfectly defined, but they were there and he was more than a little proud of them.

He'd been all cocky and thought he'd embarrassed her, but when he looked up to meet her eyes, they were burning with an intensity that made his breath catch. Rather than head out into the water, Logan decided to stay and find out what that look meant. He'd been more than ready to dismiss everything that had passed between them as a flirtation, but the look she was giving him made him really want to ask her just how close she and Conner Larkin really were. He knew that was dangerous territory and that he probably didn't really want the answer, so he decided to keep the conversation in more neutral territory.

"Of all the beaches in Neptune, she walks onto mine." Logan smirked.

"Oh, is that a problem? It is a public beach. Maybe I should move my towel; I seem to remember you taking issue with our seating arrangements yesterday," she snarked.

"Hey, that desk and I have had some very special times together. I guess you could say I'm very attached. And didn't you accuse me of setting up your schedule yesterday? Maybe we can let that go and you can admit that it was all just part of your plan to get closer to me. That's what the whole IDs thing was about, wasn't it?" He winked.

"You caught me, Mars. I had my classes switched to match your schedule and that just wasn't enough, so I got myself arrested just to spend more time with you." She threw her head back and laughed.

Logan thought it was beautiful. But the topic was sobering, "How did it go after I got kicked out of the interrogation room yesterday?" he asked gently.

"Oh, it was loads of fun. In fact, I think 'I've Had The Time of My Life' was playing." She plastered an obviously fake smile on her face.

"Hey," he said more softly, "I know that I can't  _really_ understand what you're going through, but I really do care. I...I know I was kind of an ass yesterday, but it's just sort of my default mode. I really do want to help." Logan tried to put his sincerity into his eyes; he wanted her to believe him.

Veronica nodded and seemed to steel herself, "I guess it could have been worse. Though I suppose it isn't over yet. They, um...your dad, was willing to accept that it didn't make sense for me to be selling fake IDs since I don't even know anyone here yet. But apparently I need to find a way to explain how I ended up with them for the same reason. All I can think of is that I haven't been here long enough to have enemies wanting to set me up." She put her head down on her folded knees and blew out a loud breath.

"We'll figure it out," Logan said, scooting closer to her hunched in form. "Are you suspended?"

"Not yet. My mom made a 'strong argument' for me to still be allowed to attend my classes during the investigation." Veronica held up quote fingers.

"Did that argument involve a checkbook?" Logan jested.

"What are you insinuating, Mr. Mars?" Veronica glared at him, but Logan could see a twinkle in her eyes.

"That our principal isn't above accepting donations in lieu of actual punishments. Most of the time it ticks me off, but I find that in this particular instance, I'm rather pleased."

"So what's the plan? How do we find out who set me up?" Veronica asked, more excited than he'd heard her yet.

"I think we need to start by filling in the blanks. Where did the IDs come from? If we can figure that out, it should narrow down the who. Even if they were just ordered off the internet, there will be a trail. And I know just the girl to help us find it."

* * *

For once Madison was annoyed that she didn't have any classes with that tiresome lying interloper, Veronica Echolls.

Madison had assumed that Veronica wouldn't be at school at all today, but clearly Daddy's money bought more than just designer bags and good grades.  _There's no way that little nothing made it into Calculus her junior year on her own._

"I can't believe she'd show her face here after getting arrested yesterday. Selling fake IDs on campus her first week of starting school? She's got plenty of money." Madison looked around the lunch table at her captive audience: Shelly, three freshman pep squad members whose names she hadn't bothered to learn, and she made sure she spoke loud enough that Carrie Bishop, who was feigning disinterest from the next table, could hear her. "I know people from her old school in LA, and apparently she was in trouble all the time there. Fake IDs, drugs...you name it. That's why her family moved her down here. And now she's just started it up at Neptune High."

"Oh, Madison, you know everyone," Freshman pep squad girl #1 said with awe.

"I knew Lilly shouldn't have brought her into the inner circle without doing her homework first. Veronica Echolls is just going to bring the squad down. Did you see her fall on her face after five minutes with us? Clearly she can't hack it. I guess Daddy's money can't buy everything."

Just then Madison saw Lilly paying for takeout across the quad. Madison waved her over, a perfect smile plastered across her face.  _Now let's see what Lilly has to say about this latest development. Watch how easily I can turn the queen bee of Neptune High. My hard work is about to pay off_.  _Sayonara, Veronica Echolls._

Lilly approached the table and set her containers of sashimi down right next to Madison's Chinese food.

"What tales are we spinning today, Madison Sinclair," Lilly sighed, looking pointedly at her.

Madison flinched a little.  _She's not going to side with that little witch, is she?_  "No tales; we were just discussing Veronica Echolls' arrest yesterday."

Lilly snorted. "Well obviously I don't know her well, but I have my doubts that that whole incident even happened."

All eyes turned on Madison and she could feel her face glowing red. "Of course it happened. I know for a fact that there were locker searches yesterday, and...my  _friend_ …saw her leaving the station with her mom and some lawyer."

"Veronica Echolls isn't the type to  _make_ fake IDs so much as  _buy_ them," Lilly scoffed.

"I can't believe you'd defend her. She's a criminal. She's a little sneak is what she is." Madison hadn't realized that her voice had raised to the point of almost a shout.

"I'm not defending her at all; I'm just not convinced. Now change your tone." Lilly's voice was deadly calm. She turned to the other girls at the table and motioned for them to leave. "Shoo ladies, Madison and I need to have a little talk."

Once they were alone, Lilly turned back to Madison.

"Green isn't a great color on you Maddie," Lilly cooed.

Madison looked at Lilly, confused. "I'm wearing pink."

"Yes, but you're green with envy, and, if I had to hazard a guess, red handed." Lilly's voice was smooth as silk. Madison couldn't help but turn her face away from Lilly's. She couldn't look her in the eye.

"Look, I know you're up to something, and usually I look the other way—" Lilly started.

Madison whipped her head back to face Lilly. "I'm not! I don't  _envy_  Veronica Echolls."

"Okay, you're jealous then. Just listen while I offer a little free advice. Veronica Echolls is here to stay," Lilly stated.

 _That's what you think...her father seemed to feel otherwise,_  Madison thought.

"You'd be better off making friends with Veronica rather than trying to break her down. Beyond the connections she has, she seems...nice. She took us up to meet her dad. We spent the night with Conner Larkin. That alone is reason enough to keep her as an ally."

Madison's eyes dropped down to her lunch, her appetite gone.

"And if she really is selling fake IDs, which I doubt by the way, yours could use some updating. You should have considered that." Lilly abruptly stood and moved over to the next table. Madison watched as Lilly handed her brother a container of food and sat down between him and Yolanda.

Dick came up behind her and threw his backpack on the table before reaching over to steal one of her eggrolls. He groaned when he met her eyes. "Uh-oh. Whose life are we out to ruin today? Please don't say mine; I took too much crap from you already yesterday."

"Just shut up, Dick. I don't have time for you right now. Lilly Kane has been totally taken in by that little tramp, Veronica Echolls. It makes me sick."

"Who? Oh, yeah, the new blonde hottie, Ronnie? I had a few classes with her but I haven't seen her today. Whatever happened to her?"

"Daddy bought her honors classes, that's what!" Madison snipped. "Just like he buys her everything else. For now…"

"Geez, what did you do now, Maddie?" Dick asked. Madison had to hold back a laugh.  _He almost looks scared. See, he doesn't underestimate me._

"Oh, nothing,"  _much_ , Madison added silently in her head.

Madison's eyes narrowed as she saw Veronica walk across campus with her head down.  _Ah-ha she's keeping to herself. Excellent. I knocked her down a peg, at least._

"Ya know, seeing you like this kinda turns me on. Evil Maddie is  _hot_." Dick kissed her on the lips before leaving her to join Duncan.

_Well, you ain't seen nothin yet, Dick Casablancas. This isn't over; I'm just getting started. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. We'll have her packed off to LA faster than she can say Louis Vuitton._

* * *

Veronica kept her head down as she made her way across the quad, trying to make herself invisible as she looked for an out-of-the-way table so that she could minimize any interaction with other students. If she had to rate her school day so far, she'd have to go with something between barely tolerable and miserable. First this morning she'd arrived to find tabloid photos stuck to her locker. Then she'd had to endure the glances and glares of her classmates in each of her morning classes. Yes, she was getting the message loud and clear: if she'd been pretty much anyone else, she would have been suspended. Veronica was surprised; she really hadn't thought that the students would care.

But she'd been wrong; they did care. First period was fine because Logan had shielded her a bit. Second period had been less than ideal, but for the most part she had been ignored. During third period, much to her surprise, she'd been assigned to photograph the latest graffiti on one of the parking lot retaining walls. An assignment that she suspected Logan had been instrumental in arranging. She wasn't going to complain, though. The class period away from people had gone a long way to calm her nerves.

Veronica spotted an empty table at the far end of the quad; she'd have to walk past the table Lilly and her brother were sitting at, but she hoped that if she kept her head down she could get past them without being noticed. She was almost past the table when she heard her name.

"Veronica! You can't just walk past; sit with us," Lilly called out, a smile bright on her face.

Veronica stopped and searched her brain for an excuse; she didn't want to sit with all of them today. She wanted to be alone.

"Sorry, Lilly. I'm stealing her today." A warm hand landed on her shoulder and steered her to the other table that she'd planning on avoiding.

"Hope that was okay, V. You looked like a deer caught in the headlights. And I guess I sort of owe you an apology," Wallace said.

"For what?" she asked, shrugging her shoulder in an effort to dislodge his arm.

"Logan had nothing to do with your course changes. I just...well, I thought I saw a spark between the two of you on Friday. I'm sorry if it upset you; it seemed like a good idea at the time. In my defense, it really was the easiest way to get you out of Drama and into Journalism and Calculus, and Logan really is a great guy. I guess he isn't Conner Larkin, though. Hey, tell me the truth, his abs...they're painted on, right?"

Veronica couldn't contain her laughter, "No, I promise they're real. He's super vain about them."  _And Logan is every bit as good as Conner._  She decided to keep that last bit to herself; Wallace wouldn't understand what she meant. Wallace guided her to a seat next to Logan and a girl she remembered seeing in World History, but hadn't met yet.

"Hey, Veronica." Logan smiled up at her as she set her things down. "I don't think you got a chance to meet Mac yesterday." He indicated the brunette girl sitting next to him. She had big chunky streaks of color in her otherwise dark hair and dimples that made her look younger than a junior in high school.

Veronica would have preferred to sit alone, but they'd been so welcoming to her, minus the little misunderstanding with Wallace, that she decided to give polite conversation a shot. "Hi, Mac. Logan mentioned that you're good with computers. Is that where the name comes from?"

"Oh, um...no, it's for my last name, Mackenzie." There were those dimples again.

Logan wrapped his arm around Mac. "Go on, tell her why you prefer it," he teased.

"My name is actually...Cindy. It was almost Barbie though, so I guess I shouldn't complain," Mac said, her cheeks turning bright pink.

Veronica smiled,  _Cindy is leagues better than Barbie_ ; she didn't think Cindy was that bad at all. "At my old school I knew a girl named Muffin and two Buffys, so I'd say you're still coming out ahead in the name lottery."

"Muffin? You can't be serious."

"Deadly serious. That girl was scary. All pearls and cardigans, but if you came near her with carbs, watch out." Veronica fake judo chopped.

"The girl named Muffin wouldn't eat carbs? So Muffin wouldn't eat muffins," Wallace snorted.

"Nope, and not only that, her preferred nickname was Muff." Veronica reach out to pat Logan on the back as he choked on his lunch. "All-girls school. I really don't think she had a clue."

"Well all my fears of you not getting along with the gang are gone," Logan said, still laughing. "I was thinking that we could all head over to my house after school today and discuss your case."

Veronica looked into Logan's sincere eyes and then glanced at Wallace and Mac. Their faces were open and expectant. Could she be friends with them? Could she be a part of this group? So far they were fun and seemed to genuinely be interested in getting to know her better. None of them has asked about her parents, and they didn't seem to care that there was an economic divide between them. She made up her mind, "That sounds really nice."

* * *

Logan drove more slowly than usual through the streets of Neptune, being careful not to lose Veronica. Though it wasn't too difficult to keep an eye on her; her bright yellow BMW made her harder to miss. Of course, Logan was fond of her color choice since his own car was also bright yellow. When he was giving her directions he hadn't been able to resist pointing out their shared color choice.

> "My dad hates it; he called it 'jackass yellow' at the dealership, so I immediately knew that it was the right choice," she'd explained.
> 
> And, like the fool that he was, Logan had replied honestly: "Oh...I just liked it."

He could kick himself.  _Way to impress her, Mars. You sounded like an idiot,_ Logan thought as he pulled in his driveway.

"Well, this is where I live." Logan said, ushering them all into the house. He held the door open until Veronica slipped passed him and went inside. Logan watched her as she inspected his house. She dropped her bag near the door and seemed to take a keen interest in the large dog bed sitting by the couch.

"Not what you're used to? Ever been to house this small?" he asked her a little defensively. "The housekeeper only cleans every other Sunday," he snarked while opening the back door to let Backup in from the yard.

The excited pit bull charged into the family room and ran straight for Veronica, knocking her off balance when he barreled into her.

"Backup, leave it!" Logan commanded, but his own pet blew him off completely. Logan groaned as his dog slobbered kisses on Veronica's surprised face.

"Where's the love?" Wallace asked the dog, his feelings clearly hurt at not being the dog's first choice.

"I always wanted a dog." Veronica wrapped her arms around Backup's neck and let him keep licking her.

"Your parents wouldn't let you get one?" Mac asked.

"No...my mom wanted an alpaca," Veronica replied sadly.

"Come on, let's go to my room and get started." Logan changed the topic, not wanting to see Veronica look so sad.

Once in his bedroom, Veronica collapsed onto his bed. "I wouldn't be surprised if they accuse me of changing grades next."

"That actually happened to me earlier this year," Mac said proudly.

"That was a bitch of a case. I couldn't prove she  _didn't_  do it, so we had to figure out who did," Logan explained.

"Did you get your man?"

"That'd be woman. And yes we did," Logan said with a huge grin. "As for  _your_  case, I think we need to try to figure out where the blanks came from and then work our way backward from there to see who had access to them that might want to get you in trouble."

"You'd think someone wanting to set me up would have used better props. I mean, why would I sell such crappy IDs? The one that I admitted to actually owning was made by a prop designer from one of my dad's movies. It was excellent. Those ones were terrible."

Logan nodded, "I don't think they even had the hologram."

Mac had moved to his desk and was tapping away on her laptop's keyboard, doing what, Logan wasn't sure, but she seemed engrossed in whatever it was.

Logan turned back to look at Veronica and was surprised to find that the feisty expression she'd worn just moments earlier was gone as she pulled out her phone and checked it.

"What if we can't figure it out? I know your dad said he believed me, but…"

"Don't worry about it yet." Logan took the phone from her hand and used it to send himself a quick text message. It seemed less junior high than asking for her number. "Now you can reach me if you remember anything new," Logan said lamely, sure she would see through the gesture. He quickly changed the subject. "Mac, what have you figured out?"

"From what you described, they just sound like your average, run-of-the-mill fakes that don't usually work if the bartender is paying any attention."

They were interrupted by a courtesy knock on Logan's door as it swung open, "Hey, kids." Keith's eyes widened as his gaze landed on Veronica. "Veronica. I should have known Logan would get involved with this." Keith smiled.

"Hi, Sheriff. I hope it's okay that I'm here." Logan didn't like how scared Veronica looked, but it had been a while since he'd brought someone new home. He chalked it up to nerves after facing his father down at the station yesterday.

"Of course. Actually, Veronica, why don't you come talk to me for a minute." Veronica's eyes opened wide and she turned to Logan as if looking for guidance. Keith must have noticed her hesitation. "Logan, you come, too." Keith added.

Logan got up off his bed and gave Veronica a reassuring smile as he took her hand and guided her out of his room. Keith had walked into the kitchen and was pulling sodas out of the fridge.

"Veronica, like I told you yesterday, I don't think those blank IDs belong to you. We checked for fingerprints and none that we found are a match for you." He looked pointedly at Logan, "There were two sets of prints present, one set we couldn't identify and the other set belonged to Lamb."

"He wasn't wearing gloves when he collected them?"

"No, he had on gloves; I'm sure of it," Veronica added.

Keith nodded, "He claims that he forgot to put gloves back on when he was looking at them later."

Logan flicked the tab on his can of Coke. Lamb was the one behind the PCHers going after Wallace, too.  _But what possible reason could Lamb have to plant fake IDs in the locker of a high school student he didn't even know?_  It made no sense.

The sound of Veronica's phone ringing broke the silence. Logan saw anxiety cloud her features again when she read the caller ID.  _Why is she so nervous? She wasn't this way earlier in the week at all._  He watched as Veronica hesitated for a moment and then excused herself.

Logan kept his eyes on her, trying to understand the change in her since yesterday. She hastily left the house to answer the phone on the front porch.

Now alone with his father, Logan turned to him and asked, "What do you think?"

"I think that we're missing a piece of this puzzle. Lamb has been skating on thin ice. None of us have actually caught him doing anything illegal, however. And I can't fire him without anything concrete or I'd be opening the county up to a lawsuit. I just know he'd find some way to come after me and the department."

"Veronica had never met Lamb before the locker search. Is it possible that he could be a big fan of her parents and this was some weird way to get their attention?"

"I don't know, kid. But you stay away from Lamb and work the school angle. The ADA isn't interested in pressing charges against her at this time, and I honestly don't think he'll change his mind about that. Even if the IDs do belong to her, there is no evidence that she intended to sell them. So your friend should be in the clear. I can't help thinking it's a prank." Keith rubbed his bald head.

"A prank?" Veronica asked as she reentered the room. "Pretty harsh prank."

"Maybe prank isn't the right word; you kids keep your eyes peeled. Whoever did this didn't achieve what they wanted. He or she may try something else. It was nice seeing you, Veronica. And Logan, I put some Luigi's in the fridge for you kids tonight. I have to head back into the station. Another girl went missing over the weekend like that one that happened here a few months back."

"Okay, Dad. Thanks for dinner and the news," Logan said as Keith headed for the door. He followed his father out, giving him a hug as he left and telling him to be safe.

When Logan turned back to Veronica, he noticed that she looked even more off than she had earlier, paler or something. He had to strongly resist the urge to pull her into his arms.  _What has gotten into you, Mars?_ He opted to play it safe and kept his distance. "Is everything okay? Who was that?"

"Oh, just my boyfriend. Look, I need to go, too." Veronica stared at her feet.

"Now? But we just got started. Can't you just stay for dinner?"  _Wow, you sound pathetic!_

"No, he said…" Veronica shook her head. "I need to go now, but can we talk more tomorrow? Will you tell Wallace and Mac I said goodbye?" Logan was surprised that she wouldn't meet his eyes. He found himself unable to keep his distance from her any longer. He crossed to where she stood and placed his hand on her shoulder, hoping it would get her to look up at him at least.

"Of course," he assured her as she slid away from his touch. Flustered, he murmured, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then." He picked up her bag and handed it to her as he walked her to the door.

"Great, see you then," she replied, hurrying out of the house. Logan waited in the doorway as she threw her bag across her seat to the passenger seat and climbed in. He saw her glance at him through the windshield before she reversed out of the driveway and drove away.

Logan watched the spot where she'd disappeared for a few moments after she was out of sight. He'd gotten the distinct feeling that she hadn't wanted to leave; she'd almost seemed afraid to. He wanted to talk to Wallace and Mac about the change in her, but wasn't sure they'd even spoken with her enough in the past to notice a difference.

Logan made his way back to his room and found his friends in the same positions they'd been in when he'd left a few minutes ago.

"How'd that go?" Wallace asked. "V was totally scared of your dad, man. I thought she was gonna cry there for a sec," Wallace laughed.

"Don't make fun of her, Wallace," Mac chastised him. "Just yesterday, she was sitting across a table from him in an interrogation room. And she doesn't know him like we do."

Wallace sobered up a bit. "I remember the first time I met your dad. He was a little intimidating. So where  _is_  Veronica, Logan?"

"She left...her douchebag of a boyfriend called and she ran off looking like she'd seen a ghost." Logan could hear the bitterness in his own voice. "Could she be scared of him?"

"Man, I know you're crushing on her, but she's obviously taken." Wallace shook his head.

"A fact that I am well aware of, thanks." Logan gave Wallace a playful shove. "So, why did you put us in all those classes together if you wanted me to stay away from her, anyway?"

"Oh, I didn't say you should stay away from her. I was just stating a fact. I, for one, like the girl. I think you'd be good together," Wallace stated.

"Me too," Mac added. "You're tall and she's so tiny. She's the first 09er I've willingly befriended in years. Too bad she has a boyfriend."

"But she doesn't seem happy with him. What do we really know about Conner Larkin?" Logan asked his friends, trying to sound nonchalant.

Wallace and Mac exchanged a smile and then Mac turned back to her computer. After a moment she started talking again: "Um...he was named Time Magazine's 16th most beautiful person this year."

Logan scoffed. "Only 16th; that's not even top ten! You can't do better than that?"

"He got Teen Choice awards for both best abs and cutest smile." 

Logan's face sank at her words.

"Don't look so forlorn, man. I'm sure 'cutest son of a sheriff' will be an award category next year," Wallace teased, ducking immediately to dodge the pillow Logan forcibly threw at his head.

"I still say you should go for it, Lo." Mac was laughing, but Logan could tell that she was sincere. "I don't really know anything about Conner Larkin, but I know a lot about you. I can tell that she feels the connection, too. Get to know her better and see where it leads." Mac got up from the desk and crossed the room to give him a big hug.

"What do I have compared to perfect teeth and a waxed six-pack?" Logan huffed.

"Well, she's not scared of you, for one. And you've got amazing friends!" Mac's smile was reassuring.

"Well that's a given," Logan smiled and gave her a peck on top of the head.

"I mean it, Logan. Invite her to the beach tomorrow. Get to know her better. At the very least, she could be a great friend. God knows we could use more estrogen around here."

"You know, that sounds like a good idea. I'll call her later tonight," Logan paused, pleased. "Now let's get back to business. How do we find out where those IDs came from?"

* * *

Even though the topic of conversation left something to be desired, after her initial hesitation to speak with the sheriff in his home, Veronica was enjoying being at Logan's house. Outside the interrogation room, Keith Mars seemed like a pretty upstanding guy.

Veronica was startled when her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID. 'Psychotic Jackass'. The words filled her with a sense of dread. She'd been expecting and dreading this call since Deputy Lamb had slapped the cuffs on her in front of a small crowd of students.

She answered the call after she was sure the front door had shut behind her.

" _Where are you?_ " Aaron demanded.

"At a friend's house doing homework," Veronica explained. "We have a group project due."

" _I don't give a shit about some stupid school assignment. Get your ass home, now. The photographers are here and wondering why you aren't!_ "

"Photographers? What are you talking about?" If she had known that they had something planned, she would not have been late.

" _I'm giving an interview to US Weekly. They want pictures of all of us together._ "

"I assume Trina's excused from this little Kodak moment, then? No surprise there." Veronica sighed. Trina never showed up when any of them needed her, and she always somehow got a pass from Aaron. Not that Veronica could really blame her for begging off, but still…

" _No, the only surprise is that you aren't here_." His voice was hard and cold. It caused the hair on the back of Veronica's neck to stand up.

"I'm leaving now. I'll be there in less than fifteen minutes." Veronica waited for a response but got none.

She was terrified, but at least the photographers were there. Maybe if the shoot went well he'd be calm by the time it was over.

Veronica reentered the house to Keith speaking, "So your friend should be in the clear. I can't help thinking it's a prank."

"A prank?" Veronica asked as she reentered the room. "Pretty harsh prank."

The sheriff rubbed his bald head in much the same way she'd seen Logan play with his own hair, which might have amused Veronica under different circumstances, but instead she met his concerned gaze with a serious expression.

"Maybe prank isn't the right word; you kids keep your eyes peeled. Whoever did this didn't achieve what they wanted. He or she may try something else." Keith got up from the table, "It was nice seeing you, Veronica. And Logan, I put some Luigi's in the fridge for you kids tonight. I have to head back into the station. Another girl went missing over the weekend like that one that happened here a few months back."

"Okay, Dad. Thanks for dinner and the news," Logan said as Keith headed for the door. Veronica watched, spellbound, as they hugged and exchanged sincere goodbyes. A flash of jealousy and sorrow coursed through her. Aaron had never hugged her like that unless there were cameras rolling.

"Is everything okay? Who was that?" Logan asked, after they were back in the living room.

"Oh, just my boyfriend. Look, I need to go, too." Veronica stared at her feet.

"Now? But we just got started. Can't you at least stay for dinner?" Logan's gaze was piercing her, like he saw her, really saw her.  _Dangerous._

"No, he said…" Veronica shook her head and kept her eyes downcast. "I need to go now, but can we talk more tomorrow? Will you tell Wallace and Mac I said goodbye?" She couldn't bring herself to look at him. She was afraid that he'd see all the way into her. His hand softly squeezed her shoulder and she couldn't resist its pull. She looked into his eyes and wanted to spill all of her secrets; she wanted to slide into his arms and take the comfort she was pretty sure that he was offering. But that was the problem, wasn't it? She'd done that with Conner; accepted his comfort, the safety of his arms, his presence in her life. And it hadn't been enough. When it came to Aaron, nothing was ever enough. She stepped away, causing his arm to fall; she immediately missed the warmth of his touch, even though she'd only had it for a few seconds.

"Of course," Logan's sad expression made her want to move that step closer again, but she didn't. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." He sounded like he didn't want her to leave as much as she didn't want to go. She couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't have her in tears, so she just accepted her bag that he held out to her and made her way to the door.

Veronica swallowed heavily then pulled her lips into what she hoped looked like a smile. "Great, see you then," she managed to get out and then she threw her bag across her seat to the passenger seat and climbed in. She looked back up at him, and saw the concern in his expression. Not for the first time, Veronica regretted that she wasn't a normal girl from a normal family who could date the sheriff's cute son. She reversed out of the driveway and drove away both sad and relieved to be leaving Logan Mars.

* * *

Veronica wended her way through the streets of Neptune as she headed to the 90909 zip code where her new home was. She knew that she should hurry, but she needed a few extra minutes to calm her nerves. The drive took just over ten minutes, and by the time she arrived she had expended every breathing exercise she knew of in an attempt to calm down. But the anxiety techniques weren't helping much; her hands were clammy and she knew she must look like a mess. Her cold sweat had surely caused her carefully straightened hair to curl close to her neck. Her mother's stylist was going to freak out.

She'd barely gotten out of the car when, Savannah, the stylist, grabbed Veronica's hand and dragged her to the area that had been set up in the less formal family room for hair, makeup, and wardrobe prep. Veronica quickly checked the afternoon's schedule. Apparently, most of the pictures would be taken outside before they lost the light, and then more would be taken inside of them 'acting' like a regular family: eating dinner and playing a family game. Veronica rolled her eyes at the sight of Scrabble laid out on the coffee table in the living room.

"You know that neither of them have ever played Scrabble, right?" Veronica asked Savannah while she caked HiDef makeup on her.

"I know. But we found it in the hall closet so…" Right, the magazine people would think it was something of theirs when in reality the previous owners must have forgotten it.

"You look lovely, darling," Lynn smiled as she held out two outfits. "Which one would you prefer?"

They both looked equally not at all like something Veronica would wear. "You pick, Mom. Whatever will look best on camera." Veronica smiled wanly.

Lynn hung the soft pink cardigan, white peter pan collared top and plaid skirt on the closest rack. It could almost be a Catholic schoolgirl uniform if it weren't for the high collar and slightly longer skirt length. Veronica slipped her phone out of her purse and quickly texted a picture of the clothes to Conner along with:

 **Veronica:**  'should I roll the skirt and tie up the top?'

A few seconds later her phone pinged:

 **Conner** : 'only if ur meeting the sheriff's son'.

 **Veronica:** 'Nope, family-time photoshoot'

 **Conner:**  'B good. Call when over. xoxo'

She sent back 'xoxo' and turned her attention back to Savannah, "Did they leave any notes for me?" Savannah nodded and handed Veronica a short list of the questions that they would be asking her. The usual standbys: Did she like her new school? Was she going to pursue acting like her parents and Conner?

 _Guess those pictures of my perp walk haven't been leaked yet_. There's no way would Aaron allow them to ask her about school if the public was aware of the counterfeit ID debacle.

"Okay, doll, you're all set." Savannah patted Veronica's forehead with an oil blotter. "You need to calm down, Veronica. You've done a million of these. Are you getting sick or something?"

"Oh, maybe. I definitely don't feel well," Veronica answered truthfully.

"It's just a couple of hours. I'll stay close; we'll probably have to touch up your makeup as we go." Savannah handed Veronica the clothes and sent her to change.

Three painful hours later, the crew was packing up and Veronica was exhausted. In the test shots she'd looked too pale so they'd had to adjust her makeup. And then, when they'd insisted on an outfit change, the clothes were too big, and it lead to a huge debate about a suitable other outfit. Sure, Veronica was used to these things, but the longer it went, the worse she felt. She just wanted to crawl into bed. But even now that they were done, she still had homework to do.

Just climbing the stairs was a trial, but Veronica finally made it to her bedroom and showered to get all the nasty makeup off before she changed into lounge clothes and Logan's sweatshirt.  _Just because I'm cold and it's right here...no other reason_ , she assured herself. Veronica's phone rang and she smiled, remembering that she'd promised to call Conner after the shoot. He must be worried about her. She answered the phone without looking at the caller ID.

"You have no idea how much I need to hear your friendly voice right now," Veronica smiled, flopping back onto the bed.

There was a pause.

" _Um...Veronica?_ " The voice on the other end of the line was tentative...and definitely not Conner's.

She sat up straight, instantly recognizing it. "Logan?" she sputtered as she pulled the phone away to check the number on the screen.

" _Yeah, it's me. Sorry to bother you, but I was thinking...well, I was wondering—_ "

Veronica didn't hear the rest of what he said because, at that very moment, the door to her room flew open to reveal her seething father. He was practically foaming at the mouth, he was so furious.

"You little bitch," the tirade began. Veronica frantically looked around him, hoping that her mother or a staff member would come to her aid. "If you think that you can…" Veronica suddenly remembered the open phone in her hand and dropped her arm to the bed, sliding the phone shut as she did, "...embarrass me by showing up almost forty minutes late to an appointment and get away with it, you've got a few more things to learn about manners." Aaron crossed the room and dragged her to her feet by her upper arms before he shoved her hard against the wall. Veronica stumbled, but managed to keep herself on her feet, though her hip caught the corner of her bedside table and her arm slammed into her headboard.

"I didn't know. No one told me!" she insisted. But the truth didn't matter to Aaron. He was beyond understanding anything other than—

"Aaron!" Her mother's voice caused her father's head to spin around to the doorway. "Don't bruise her, we're too under a microscope right now."

—other than publicity, Veronica breathed a sigh of relief.

Steam was rising from Aaron's skin, but he didn't go after Veronica again. "If you honestly think that I can let this incident go unpunished—"

"She didn't know. Sylvia admitted to me when she was leaving that she'd forgotten to call Veronica."

"Then  _Sylvia_  is fired!" Aaron roared. "Call the agency and find yourself a new assistant." His head snapped back to Veronica. "And  _you_ , aren't off the hook, either." Veronica instinctively braced herself as he took a step toward her. " _You_  are just lucky that the press hasn't gotten wind of your little trip down to the sheriff's station yesterday—"

"She didn't do anything wrong, Aaron. No one believed that Veronica was responsible for the fake IDs...not the sheriff, not the DA. No harm done." Veronica could tell that her mother was using her smooth, calming voice to get through to her father.

"But the damage she could have done—"

"But she didn't," Lynn reminded him. "It was a misunderstanding. Let's go to bed now."

Veronica watched as her mother led Aaron out of Veronica's bedroom and down the hallway. Neither of them turned around to check on her, and she was glad of it. Veronica absently rubbed her sore arm and then her hip as she watched her parents' retreating forms until they were out of sight. When she heard her parents' door click shut down the hall, she hastily ran over and shut her own door, locking it securely.

Knowing that there wasn't anything else to be done tonight, Veronica pulled back her covers and climbed into bed. She knew she should call Conner, but she didn't have the strength. She was suddenly freezing and pulled the hood of Logan's sweatshirt over her head, breathing in his scent as she did so.

Soon the US Weekly story would come out, and it would tell the story of the picture-perfect Echolls family in their beautiful Neptune mansion. She would be the envy of tween girls everywhere after the carefully airbrushed shots were published. Veronica knew that no one would guess that the mansion was really a maze of secrets, deception and lies. No one would know that the pretty girl who lived in that gorgeous 12,000 square-foot castle had to lock herself in just one room to feel safe. She burrowed into the covers as deeply as possible and cried herself to sleep.

* * *

Across town, in a much smaller house, a happy house, Logan Mars sat looking at his phone long after its last call had disconnected. He'd expected her to call back, and felt a chill run down his spine as he finally shut the phone and leaned over to plug it in.

 _What the hell?_  he thought as he lay down on his bed and fixed his gaze on the ceiling. He tried to make sense of the events of the afternoon and evening.  _Conner Larkin called and Veronica looked...scared. She left, presumably to go see him. And then, when I called…_

He tried not to jump to conclusions. Years of investigating and watching his father work had taught him that the most simple answer was often not the correct one. He wished that she would call him back, but didn't feel comfortable trying to call her again. He'd see her in the morning. The imagine of Conner Larkin in People's '50 Most Beautiful People in the World' flashed in his mind. He wished Mac had never pulled it up for him to see on her computer.  _What is going on?_

* * *

**Thursday, December 9th**

"Poor Wallace, that thing just can't get off the ground," Veronica said to Mac. Both girls were standing on the beach with their hands above their eyes to shield the afternoon sun. After a long day at school, being outside in the fresh air was a welcome change.

"Wallace, you need more thrust," Mac called out to her friend. Wallace was squatting several feet away from them working on a remote control airplane.

"Yeah, I need to get some tools from the car," Wallace responded, picking up the airplane and walking toward the parking lot.

Veronica picked up the slobbery ball that Backup had dropped by her feet and launched it as far as she could down the beach. She smiled when Backup took off at a sprint after it.

"Thanks for inviting me, Mac. This beach is nice; there are a lot of people here, but everyone seems...normal," Veronica stated, snuggling her arms into the front pocket of Logan's hoodie. There was a chill in the air, and she was glad that she hadn't returned the sweatshirt to him earlier in the day, as planned.

"Yeah, well there's a reason we come to Dog Beach. I mean, beyond the fact that the dog can be off leash, the surf is decent for Logan and we like to spend some time on our side of town. There's very little chance of running into an 09er here," Mac explained.

"What's an 09er?" Veronica asked, dubious.

"Someone who lives in the prestigious 90909 zip code. Someone like—" Mac cut herself off abruptly and turned wide-eyed to Veronica.

"Someone like me?" Veronica finished for her. Veronica burst into laughter at the sight of Mac's horrified expression. "It's okay, Mac, really."

"No, it's not okay. I wasn't thinking." Mac turned back to the beach blanket she'd laid out earlier and plopped down, clearly embarrassed.

Veronica followed her down, slowly, trying not to jar her sore hip. "No, I'm choosing to take it as a compliment. I like that you don't think of me as a spoiled rich kid. All I've ever wanted was for someone to ask about me when they met me, rather than my parents. I mean, don't get me wrong, having money is nice, but...well it comes with it's own price tag." Veronica realized how glum she sounded and tried to turn the conversation around. "But not all 09ers can be bad. You guys all seem to have friends among them."

"Hardly," Mac scoffed. "Well, not me. Wallace is a star basketball player, so he can move through all circles without a problem. But he'll never really be an 09er. Logan has lived here forever and used to be good friends with Neptune's heavy hitters: the Kanes, the Casablancases...all of them really."

"So what happened?" Veronica tried to keep her voice even. She desperately wanted to know Logan's story, and this was her first chance to get some information.

"It's a long story and it's Logan's to tell. I probably don't even know all of it. But it changed everything, and everyone just kinda split off into their different factions. The 09ers, the jocks, the geeks...the intellectual snobs." Mac shot a glance out at Logan.

Veronica laughed at that. "Well look at us...we're breaking all the rules. We've already got one of each."

Mac laughed too as she picked up Backup's ball and threw it into the surf for him. "I take it I'm the geek?"

Veronica was glad Mac didn't seem offended. "Tech geek, maybe. Which is pretty badass these days. And I'll just go ahead and apologize in advance because I'm a total intellectual snob when given the chance. So now you'll have to deal with two of us."

Mac smiled at that. "We just need a Mexican biker in our little clique and we'll have the whole of Neptune represented in one fell swoop. I like it."

"So how did you three become so close, then?" Veronica inquired. "You're all so different."

"Oh, I've known Logan forever. We grew up together. We're neighbors; did you know that?" Mac asked and Veronica shook her head. "He was always the cool kid who hung out with the 09ers in middle school, but he was always nice to me. He'd escape to my house on weekends when his mom…" she hesitated before continuing, "We were always close outside of school. Then, when relationships started changing at the end of junior high, he was having a hard time at home and we started spending more time together. We both needed to escape our families."

Veronica could totally relate to that. "I'm sorry. That's a terrible feeling. But Logan seems so close to his dad," Veronica tried to say enough that Mac would continue with her story.

"Oh, yeah, the sheriff is great. My parents are great, too. It's just….well, I just don't fit in with them. They're all nachos and NASCAR, while I'm…" Mac looked as if she were searching for the right words.

"Falafels and Fellini?" Veronica ventured a guess.

"Yes,  _exactly!_ " Mac smiled at her and continued her story. "Wallace moved here the summer before freshman year. Wallace's mom came to the station to get help evicting some creepy tenant, and that's how they met. Somehow that summer before high school the three of us just...became a thing." Mac paused for a moment, looking almost hesitant before she added, "I like you, Veronica. We all do...even Logan. He seems….I dunno...different these past few days."

Veronica's eyes reflexively went to Logan. He was sitting on his surfboard, just bobbing with the waves. He suddenly turned and looked in her and Mac's direction and Veronica shuddered. It was almost as if he'd heard them. He hadn't actually ridden a wave in a while. Veronica couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking about out there on the water. "Different, how?" she finally asked.

"Look, Veronica, you seem really nice, and I'd love to spend more time with you and get to know you better. Logan's my best friend, so I'm just going to come out and say this: Logan likes you." Mac said, taking a deep breath and looking out at Logan.

"Like... _likes me_ , likes me?" Veronica tried, unsuccessfully, to make light of the situation.

When Mac turned back to her, her expression was serious. "Yeah, exactly like that. And I don't want him to get hurt."

"This is silly, Mac; are we talking about the same Logan? I was only at the bonfire for, like, thirty minutes and I watched at least half a dozen girls hit on him. You can't really tell me he's the type to be brokenhearted over a crush on the new girl when, from what I've seen, he could have just about anyone he wanted."

"Logan doesn't give a damn about any of those girls. They've all been after him for years. And he's never dated anyone seriously. You, on the other hand…" Mac sighed and looked back at Veronica. "You, he won't shut up about. I'm pretty sure he's been thinking about you since you tossed him that bottle of baby oil."

Veronica smiled at the memory but still found that hard to believe. "How do you know that? He isn't even nice to me half of the time."

Mac snickered. "Well, that's your first indication right there. But I can just tell...by the way he looks at you and the things he says about you. He worries about you."

Veronica opened her mouth to speak, but Mac cut her off, "Just be honest with him, okay? I think you feel the same connection that he does, but if you can't...you know,  _be_  with Logan, just tell him that."

"My life is...things are complicated, Mac." Veronica didn't know what else to say.

"Life is always complicated, Veronica." Mac blushed for a moment. "Don't get me wrong, there's no denying that your boyfriend is hot." Mac's dimples deepened at her obvious embarrassment.

"Wait till you see him in person," Veronica giggled. "The camera doesn't do him justice, I'm afraid."

"Now  _that_  is hard to believe," Mac said. "I'd love to meet him, though. Maybe someday..." Mac replied, looking wistful.

"Maybe this weekend," Veronica insisted. "He's coming down to see me tomorrow. We should all hang out or something. Maybe sip drinks by the pool if it's enough warm outside? I do like to look at him shirtless," Veronica laughed.

"I can't believe you're talking about your boyfriend like he's a slab of meat. I've just admitted my big celebrity crush, the guy I  _still_ dream about having my first kiss with, and you don't look jealous in the slightest."

Veronica just shrugged. "Conner is beautiful, inside and out. You'll see. I don't mind sharing the view." She gave Mac a playful elbow to the side and winked.

Mac looked out at the water again as if something had caught her eye. "Oh, it looks like Logan's coming in. I'm going to go check on Wallace and give you two a minute. Be honest with him," Mac said as she stood up and walked to the parking lot.

* * *

The last wave Logan had caught was pitiful. He paddled back out and saw that the waves were dying out altogether. He wasn't surprised. Afternoon surfing wasn't his favorite, but he'd needed it today; he'd needed to be out on the water for a while.

He had slept fitfully the night before, tossing and turning as his brain churned. His mind struggled to put together the pieces that he knew about Veronica, and, even more troubling, why he cared so much.

He was worried about her, which didn't surprise him. He was someone who solved mysteries, and everything about Veronica Echolls was a mystery. But it was more than that. He couldn't remember ever feeling this way about anyone in such a short time. Despite her boyfriend and her rich family—despite everything, he felt connected to her. He couldn't leave her alone.

After their call had been disconnected, he'd expected her to call him and explain, but she never had. He'd had to fight the urge to call her back all night. If it were Mac, he'd have broken her door down to get to her, but he didn't know Veronica well enough to do that. He'd considered driving by her house, but the Echolls estate was set far back from the street behind a gate. It wouldn't have done him any good.

Logan looked out onto the shore and saw that Mac and Veronica were watching him, too.  _Is that my sweatshirt?_  The thought of Veronica wearing his clothes made his mouth go dry and his pulse race. She was smiling. She seemed to be okay right now. He'd been relieved when she'd flown through the classroom door this morning just as the bell had rung for first period. Class started right away, so he hadn't had a chance to question her. After a brief glance and smile his way, she'd opened her books and began following along with the lesson.

She'd tried to bolt after class, which had made him livid. When he caught up with her in the hall, he hadn't broached the subject with her at all how he'd intended to.

 

> "So you're just going to run. No explanation, then?" He'd blown out a breath in frustration and then grabbed for her arm to slow her down since his words had not. "Seriously, Veronica?
> 
> "Well, of course, I'm gonna run. I'm  _seriously_  in need of some caffeine, and the coffee cart closes in like...three minutes." She'd smiled up at him, but he could see the worry behind her eyes.
> 
> "Yeah, try again. That's not going to work for me," he'd countered. "I'm an investigator, Veronica.  You can start with the part where you get a call from your boyfriend and go running, and then move on to the phone call with me that sounded like you were about to have the shit beat out of you."
> 
> Veronica had yanked her arm out of his grasp and spun around to face him head-on. "Why do you even care?"
> 
> Her response had stumped him, even after an entire night of sitting up thinking about that very question.  "I…" his first word was harsh, but he immediately deflated, "I don't know."
> 
> She'd looked up at his eyes then as if trying to read him. When she spoke her voice was calm.  "Well, as you can see I'm perfectly fine. No need to worry about the new girl.  I've gotten along for seventeen years without your concern."

He'd let her leave after that and didn't speak to her in Journalism. She was right; obviously she was okay, and she'd made it perfectly clear that she didn't want or need his help. Logan had cooled down a bit by last period. He'd slid into the seat next to Wallace and couldn't help but smile when he saw Mac and Veronica with their heads close together. He assumed they were conspiring. As much as he thought of Mac as one of the guys, it was nice to see her making a girl friend.

He shouldn't have been surprised when on their way to the beach Mac had mentioned that she'd invited Veronica.

 

> "I thought you'd be happy...an excuse to get to know her better," she'd explained, obviously confused about his reticence. "She hung out with us at your house yesterday, Logan; we're working her case."
> 
> "Does she know I'll be there?" He'd asked reluctantly, sure she must not.   _There's no way she'd want to be around me after how I acted this morning_.
> 
> "Yes. I told her we were all going to the beach. Were you worried she was upset with you after she left so abruptly last night? You're being paranoid, Mars."
> 
> "You're right, of course. It'll be great."
> 
> "If this is about Conner—" Mac started.
> 
> "It's not...really." He'd cut her off.  _Crap, I protested way too much._  "Really, Mac. It'll be nice to all hang out."

Logan had rushed out to the water immediately when he'd arrived at the beach that afternoon so that he wouldn't be ashore when Veronica arrived. Now he was ready to call it a day, but didn't know if he was quite as ready to brave the inevitable confrontation.  _Play nice,_ he warned himself.

By the time he got to the shore, Mac was nowhere to be found. She'd ditched him. He frowned and made a mental note to return the favor when he got a chance. Veronica stood up and smiled at him. He leaned over to pet Backup who'd come bounding up to him.

"Did the waves die out on you?" she asked, pleasantly.

Logan turned back to the shore and then back to her. He rubbed the back of his neck and then smiled when he caught himself in the midst of his nervous habit.

"Oh, we're talking now?" he winced when the smile dropped from her face.  _Dude, what is your problem? You never act this way._  "I'm sorry," he countered immediately. "I don't know what's wrong with me lately."

Veronica, to his surprise, smiled again tentatively and kept up the pleasantries. "Well, I haven't been any picnic to be around myself."

Logan accepted the olive branch. "Well, tomorrow is Friday. You've officially lived in Neptune a whole week. Let's tally: arrests: 1, class schedule hijacks: 1, 09er bonfires: 1, pep squad invitations: oh, infinity." They both laughed nervously.

"Technically my schedule was hijacked twice. The first time was by my father who thinks drama is more important than math," she rolled her eyes. "Neptune has been...unexpectedly eventful," she smiled.

Logan sent his dog ahead to Mac and Wallace and bent down to collect his board as she folded up Mac's blanket.

They dropped their stuff off at his car, and then, after she said her goodbyes to Mac and Wallace, he walked her back to her car.

"It was nice seeing you. I'm glad you and Mac seem to have hit it off." He opened the door for her after she clicked it unlocked.

"Yeah, me too. Mac's great." They both turned to look at Mac at that moment only to see her and Wallace hastily look away, trying to pretend as if they hadn't been watching them.

"Don't worry, I'll kill them later," he said affectionately.

"It's fine, Logan." She paused for a moment and then shook her head. "Oh, I almost forgot!" Veronica's arms flew to her middle as she pulled down the zipper of his sweatshirt and began to slide the garment off.

He opened his mouth to stop her, but the words fell from his lips at the sight of her bare arms. Or more precisely, the bruises on them that clearly indicated that someone had shoved her around. That, combined with the phone call and how nervous she was after Conner had called, could only add up to one thing. There was going to be a beatdown.

"Where is he?" Logan snarled at her.

"What? Who?" He could tell that Veronica was confused until she followed his eyes to the bruises on her arm. Logan swung around and made for his car.  _That asshole. He's probably long gone back home by now or she wouldn't be here. Good thing I know where to get my hands on a map of the homes of the stars._

"Logan, no. Wait!" She grabbed his arm and he whirled around to face her.

"Wait for what? You to make excuses for your superstar boyfriend. Let me guess, it's  _your_  fault. Oh wait, no...you provoked  _him_. Stop me when I hit on whatever excuse you were going to use. I grew up in a sheriff's station, Veronica. I've heard them all. And now my dad is going to have another domestic assault case on his hands."

Veronica jumped in front of him, blocking his path and pushing hard on his chest, he could only guess that she was attempting to slow his progress. He almost laughed.  _She's tiny_.

"It wasn't Conner. It was pep squad," Veronica insisted. At that, Logan did stop in his tracks. He waited for her to continue. "See?" Veronica looked down to indicate her bruised knee. "That uncoordinated mess, Madison Sinclair, fell on top of me when I boosted her onto the stupid pyramid and Yolanda and some other girl grabbed me by the arms to try to break my fall; unsuccessfully, I might add."

Logan looked at her for a long moment. He wasn't entirely convinced, but it made sense. It didn't explain the phone calls, but it added up otherwise.

He sighed and looked down at her hands, which were still perched on his chest. Without thinking, he rested his hands on top of hers, holding them against him. He couldn't breathe with her touching him, and it didn't do anything for his clarity-of-mind either.

"Really?" he asked, wanting to believe her. Then again, he could be convinced of anything when she touched him like this.

Veronica looked up and met his eyes. "Really," she affirmed. After a moment a smile cracked her lips, and he knew that if he didn't remove her hands from his chest he would kiss her right there on the spot.  _Dammit!_ He blinked and shook his head as he took a step back.

"Okay," he relented. "I'm going to trust you." Logan turned around and led her back to her car. Logan pulled open her door for her again. Veronica was moving to climb in when she turned abruptly.

"Thanks, Logan." She raised up on tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. "For caring, I mean. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

Logan could only nod as he shut the door after she climbed in. Veronica started the car and pulled out of the parking lot without another glance at him, speeding away down the street. He stood there, holding his sweatshirt that now smelled like her, watching as her car disappeared down the road.  _In the wrong direction_ , he smirked and felt his cheek still burning from her lips. He dreaded heading back to the car where Wallace and Mac had probably gotten a great view of what had transpired between him and Veronica.  _At least they didn't get to hear the audio._

He turned, walked back to this car, and climbed in, shooting a warning glance at his friends before either of them had even opened their mouth.

 _So much for just wanting to be friends_ , he admitted to himself as he pulled out of the parking lot.

* * *

Veronica was in tears before she made it out onto the street. She could only hope that she was driving the right way to get back home; she hadn't lived here long enough to know the route by heart. She took a few wrong turns, but she eventually made it. She was happy to be there; she wanted to talk to her mom.

Mac and Logan's words echoed in her ears as she passed through her front gates:

" _Just be honest with him," Mac had asked of her._

" _I'm going to trust you," Logan had said._

And she'd lied to them both. Convincingly even. The thought made her sick to her stomach.

The moment she entered the house, Veronica knew something was off. It was too quiet, too still. Her thoughts instantly flew to her mother.  _Crap, I bet she started drinking again last night. She'd better not be passed out somewhere._

"Mom?" Veronica's call echoed off the walls and polished marble countertops.

Veronica sped up her steps as she made her way through the bottom floor of the house, first making her way through the kitchen on her way to the main living area where she checked the pool deck though the French doors. "Mom?"

 _He wouldn't do anything to her. Not with the press watching their every move. Would he?_ He usually left Lynn alone, but Veronica never knew when one of his tirades would come. She began to hyperventilate as she reached into her bag and frantically felt around until her fingers came into contact with the object she'd been seeking. It wasn't until she pulled her phone out that she realized her hands were shaking.

The instant she slid her phone open, the screen lit up with a pop up indicating a missed incoming text message. She anxiously pressed the buttons to open the message, and then breathed a huge sigh of relief when her mother's name appeared at the top of the message.  _She's okay._

 **Mom:**  'Delayed with Barry. Will not be home until after 6. Stay away from the house until you hear from me. He's there.'

Veronica's breath caught in her chest. The momentary relief she'd felt when she'd learned that her mother was safe instantly vanished.

A moan escaped from her before she could help it. She clamped her hand over her mouth.  _Oh, God._ She hadn't been quiet at all; she'd been calling out to her mother.

Her eyes instantly snapped to the stairs. Nothing. She whipped around to glance through the French doors again, this time looking across the patio to the pool house. Aaron had always liked the pool house, which was why she avoided it like the plague.

Phone in hand, Veronica stood rooted to the spot as she calculated the distance back to the front door. If Aaron was in the pool house, she had nothing to worry about.

After a calming breath, Veronica willed herself to retrace her footsteps through the kitchen to the front door. She moved as silently as possible, lightly placing one foot in front of the other, taking it one step at a time. She'd just made it to the foyer when she heard an icily calm voice call out to her from her father's study.

"Veronica!" Aaron's voice cut through the silence like a knife. Her eyes instantly filled with tears as she contemplated making a run for it. "Don't bother trying to leave now, Daughter." Veronica heard footsteps approaching.

She slowly turned toward the voice she loathed so much to see Aaron standing at the foot of the stairs watching her. He appeared calm, too calm. She'd take raging Aaron over seemingly calm Aaron any day.

"It seems that your mother has been waylaid. Why don't you and I have some father-daughter bonding time in my study until she returns. We can discuss your little trip to the sheriff's station in a bit more detail, hmm?"

Aaron held out his arm, gesturing for her to precede him into his study. And she did; there was no escaping the inevitable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Despite leaving the story on such an ominous note, we really wanted to let you know how excited we are by all the comments, favs, follows, subscriptions, and kudos. Thank you so much for reading and all the comments! We're having a great time with all your speculations and questions :) And a little fun tidbit one of us went to school with a Muffin (a person not the food). And if you were confused about Muffin in the old chapter 1 AN now you know what it was referring too (oops).


	3. On the third day of Christmas, my mother gave to me...three Percocet and an excuse to get out of being peppy

**Chapter 3: On the third day of Christmas, my mother gave to me...three Percocet and an excuse to get out of being peppy**

* * *

**Friday, December 10th**

Veronica had packed her messenger bag before last period so that she could go straight from World History to the parking lot. Her mother had dropped her off just before third period, also known as, once the painkillers had really kicked in, and given her an excuse for PE. Veronica groaned as her bag banged against her hip. She knew Logan had wanted to talk to her, he'd been trying all day, but that was the last thing she needed. He was far too observant for his own good, which had made it necessary for her to avoid him. She was pretty sure that he still suspected something was wrong even though she'd been able to play off the bruises he'd seen on her arm as having been the result of a pep squad mishap. There was no way that she could hide what bad shape she was in now; if he had a chance to scrutinize her, he'd know something was wrong.

And as if the fear of running into Logan weren't enough, she'd had to avoid Lilly Kane all day, too. Lunch had been a trial. Lilly had caught her right as she'd been about to duck into the restroom.

> "Veronica Echolls, you simply  _must_  come with us to Black's Beach tomorrow. "We'll stay clear of the nude section...unless you're feeling adventurous." Lilly had said with a wink. "The boys will be surfing, and it's supposed to be sunny and warm. We could lay on the sand and gossip. You know you want to."
> 
> "I can't Lilly, I have stuff I have to do at home—"
> 
> "That's what the help is for," Lilly had scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. Now, on to more important topics; you need to start coming to pep squad practice so we can make you an official member."

And lunch had continued on that way. Lilly telling Veronica what she would be doing, and Veronica explaining how she wouldn't be doing whatever it was. She sighed at Lilly's displeasure about the non-starter that was pep squad. But what was Veronica supposed to do? There was no way she could participate even if she'd wanted to. Not when she had a tendency to end up black and blue.

When Veronica reached the parking lot, she made a beeline for Conner's car. It was hard to miss him in his bright blue Aston Martin Vanquish; it was flashy even by Neptune standards. From the looks she was receiving, the rest of the student body hadn't missed it either. Veronica moved as fast as she could, ignoring the returning pain. She'd need to take another Percocet or two when they got to the house.

"Hey, beautiful," Conner called as Veronica gingerly climbed into the car.

"Hey, handsome," she replied, mustering as much enthusiasm as she could.

"How bad is it?" he asked. Before she could answer, they were interrupted by a knock on the window, "Please tell me that's the sheriff's son."

Veronica turned, and sure enough, there was Logan. She rolled the window down, "Hey, Logan, we were just heading out."

"Yeah, I got that." He smirked at her, "Are you coming to the beach tomorrow? The weather's supposed to be great. Hey do you surf, man?" Logan directed to Conner. "A bunch of us will be if you're willing to spend the day with us plebeians." Veronica winced at the look of utter contempt on Logan's face.

"As for surfing—no, not really. I can't risk an injury, though I do love to watch. And I've always had a soft spot for the proletariat. Something about the calluses." Conner's eyes flashed mischievously.

Veronica glared at Conner and then turned back to Logan. He wore an expression of both confusion and disdain. "Actually, I'm stuck at home tomorrow. The last of the furniture from the old house is arriving and my parents have to be at some award thing. So we're stuck signing for packages and deliveries all day. But next time."

Logan looked disappointed. Veronica hated seeing it, but there was no way she could go to the beach feeling how she did...looking how she did.

"I'm going to hold you to that," Logan said softly.

"I'll insist on it." Conner winked and Logan's expression changed to one Veronica had never seen before...disgust, maybe.

" _Right_. Well it was  _fantastic_  to meet you. It isn't every day that I get to see a megalomaniac in the flesh," he said to Conner before turning his attention back to Veronica. "I'll let you know if anything comes up about your case. Have fun tomorrow." Logan stood up and walked away.

Veronica rolled up her window. "Please take me home." She leaned her head against the window.

Conner picked up her hand and gently squeezed but said nothing. The rest of their drive was spent in silence, and when they got back to her house, Conner came around and moved to lift her out of the car and into his arms.

"Watch my right side," Veronica whimpered and saw Conner nod as he carefully lifted her into his arms.

"Come on, babygirl. Let's get you in bed and we can order takeout and watch bad 80s movies. And maybe you can tell me what happened. How's that sound?"

Veronica nodded and rested her head against Conner's chest and let her eyes drift shut.

* * *

Logan watched as Veronica and Conner pulled out of the parking lot. He couldn't make up his mind as to whom he was mad at, himself or Veronica. Or maybe he was mad at himself for being mad at Veronica. What he needed was some time with his number one girl and number one guy: Mac and Wallace. They'd give him perspective.

Logan headed back into the school, knowing it was likely they'd both still be lingering by their lockers waiting for him. By the time he found them, he had a plan in mind—something he was pretty sure they wouldn't be able to resist.

"So, Team Mars, I was thinking we'd head to Amy's and regroup about Mandy's case," Logan said, casually leaning against his locker to look at both Mac and Wallace.

"You know I never turn down Amy's," Mac replied.

"And I have nothing better to do, so count me in," Wallace snarked. "I'm riding with you, Logan. Mac's green machine is hurting my cred with the ladies."

"What cred would that be, Wallace? That you are too sweet, or that the pimp juice is actually Orangina?" Mac teased good-naturedly.

"Didn't you say the same thing just the other day about riding with me in 'the banana'? Maybe we should make you walk!" Logan linked arms with Mac and started heading back out to the parking lot.

"You two are impossible. Fine, I'll ride with either of you. But I want a root beer float."

"That's the way to improve your cred." Logan hip checked Wallace as they approached their cars. Wallace apparently opted to ride with Mac instead.

Logan climbed into his truck and tried not to think about Veronica while he drove to Amy's. Instead he focused his mind on Mandy's case. Poor Chester had been missing more than a week now and it wasn't looking good. Despite Logan's intentions, he hadn't made it back down to Animal Control.  _Go to Animal Control on Monday_ , Logan mentally added to his 'to do' list as he parked. Mac and Wallace had somehow beat him to the pier and were already seated in the small shop.

"—avoided...all day—"

"—me neither—"

Logan caught a few words of their conversation before they saw him. He knew they were talking about how awkward he and Veronica had been earlier, but Logan didn't want to talk about it. After seeing her with Conner, he just wanted to focus on something he could actually feel good about.

"Enough of that, you two. We've got a missing dog and a distraught owner who need our help. It's time to let the sugar fuel our brains and for us to channel the force."

"More like the Schwartz…" Wallace groused.

"I knew you liked that movie!" Logan said excitedly. "Now on to business."

"Wait, before we get into it, what happened earlier? You went after Veronica...what did she say?" Mac asked.

"Nothing of consequence."

"So she's going to the beach tomorrow?" she continued to push.

"No. Conner 'Pretty Boy' Larkin is here all weekend. Her parents are out of town and they are," he held up his hands to make finger quotes, "'staying in to sign for packages'. Whatever that means..."

"I'll bet he's got a big pack—" Wallace smirked then cringed as Mac elbowed him. "Right, that's  _you_  who's got the—"

Mac put her hand over Wallace's mouth, "Enough of that. Sorry I pushed. So Mandy…"

Logan smiled, thankful that Mac was good at reading his moods and the situation. "Yes, so Chester…"

They finished their ice cream and debated what do next for Mandy, but got no further than where they already were. Logan would go to the pound on Monday and see what else they could learn.

Mac pulled her keys out and handed them to Wallace, "Be good to her, and you totally owe me," she said, linking arms with Logan and steering him to his SUV.

"What's that about?" Logan asked, keeping his voice low.

"He asked Jane out and she said yes, but his mom won't let him have the car…"

"So he hit you up, knowing I would never let him borrow the Xterra. You're a good friend Mac." Logan smiled.

"You bet I am, which is why you and I are about to have a somewhat awkward conversation." She gave him her half smile that meant he wasn't going to like what she had to say. "I may have...um...told Veronica that you like her." She rushed out the words and then climbed into the Xterra.

Logan sighed.  _Of course you did,_  he thought, shaking his head as he walked around to the driver's side. "Why did you do that, Mac? She has a boyfriend. He's a complete tool, but she's not interested in me like that."

"I think you're wrong. I'm pretty sure she  _is_  interested. I'm not sure what the deal is with her and Conner yet. But, Logan, someone in a long term relationship like she supposedly is in...they don't act like she does. Well, okay maybe Lilly Kane would, but the point I'm trying to make here is that I don't think Veronica's like that. I'm like ninety-nine point nine percent positive that she has feelings for you."

"Can we please talk about anything else? I'm not up to this right now. In fact…" Logan found the perfect inspiration to get Mac to back off, "I ran into Cassidy earlier. He mentioned how awesome you are at Halo 2. Care to tell me how he knows that?"

"Point taken, Mars. So, how 'bout them Padres…"

* * *

**Saturday, December 11th**

Logan got up early after sleeping fitfully, yet again.  _Three nights of worrying about Veronica Echolls is really cutting into my beauty rest_.

After coffee and a quick breakfast, Logan made the drive out to Black's Beach to surf with the more devoted of the morning surf crew. The early morning swell was definitely more than the less experienced could handle, but Logan was looking forward to the challenge. Anything to occupy his brain.

The surf that morning was truly amazing. The company left a bit to be desired, though. Everything that had been going on with Veronica, and the restless nights he'd spent worrying about it, had made small talk with Dick and Duncan about tits and ass just tedious.

He'd never really minded the difference between his life and that of the 09ers before. Sure, they were superficial and arrogant, but it wasn't really their fault. But today it all seemed so...meaningless. And Veronica wasn't even coming. Logan missed a few waves and a big chunk of the conversation, so he begged off the rest of the morning and waved to the other guys as he made his way to the shore.

As the sun warmed the beach, more of his classmates started showing up. Logan began to realize his mistake. Initially, his main reason for agreeing to come this morning, good waves aside, had been to see Veronica, but she wouldn't be coming...and now he was surrounded by 09ers. He was tired and ready to head home, so he decided to brave the crowd and see if he could get to his SUV before he got cornered.

He was almost to the parking lot when the melodic voice of Lilly Kane called out to him. There was no way he could pretend that he hadn't heard her, and ignoring her wasn't worth the repercussions.

"Lilly Kane...what can I do for you today?" Logan inquired, jutting his board into the sand.

"Actually this is about what I can do for you," she said suggestively, bending forward to put her breasts further on display.

Logan sighed and shook his head, "I'm not interested in  _that,_ Lilly."

"Oh, come  _on_ , Lo-gan."

"God, Lilly, shut up! I gotta—"

"Fine, I just wanted to offer you some help," Lilly interrupted, looking smug.

"Seriously, Lilly, what kind of help could you possibly offer me?"

"You've been hanging out with Veronica Echolls…"

"Let me guess...you want to warn me that she only wants to makeout with me by the pool to piss off her parents—nope, wait that was you. And thanks to that, my mom left..." Logan picked his board back up and began to walk, completely done with dealing with Lilly Kane.

"It's not like we're actually related. That whole paternity thing is so two years ago." Logan stopped in his tracks, incredulous that Lilly could brush off the event that had changed Logan's life in so many way as if it were nothing. "Actually, I think you and Veronica would be super cute together. Movie stars' daughter and the sheriff's son...it's romcom gold."

"Is that what you wanted to tell me, Lilly? Because I am seriously getting bored with this conversation."

"I just figured, since she's been hanging out with you and your little scooby doo gang, that you might be helping her after the locker bust."

"Maybe I am. Is that a problem?"

"Not at all. Not to me. In fact, that's what I can help you with. I'm pretty sure I know who set her up."

Logan stared at her expectantly, "Well, do I have to tip you over, or are you going to spill it on your own?"

"Just building a little suspense," Lilly replied dramatically. "Madison."

"Your BFF, Madison Sinclair? Why would she do that? I thought your whole pep squad was courting Veronica."

"We are, or we were before Veronica up and quit on Friday. But you know Madison...everyone is a threat in her eyes. Do you really think she wouldn't stoop to something like this?"

"Oh, I know she would, but how? Where would she get fake IDs?"

" _That_  I don't know the answer to. I figured that's where you'd come in."

"Thanks Lilly. This was…" he smirked, "helpful."

"You know me, I'm here to serve." She gave him a bawdy wink and bounced off to join some of the others lounging on the beach.

Logan's thoughts instantly went to Veronica and how this latest news would affect her. He knew he should wait to tell her anything until he had a little more evidence, but he liked that it gave him an excuse to speak to her. He missed her.

He picked up his phone to call Veronica but then remembered where she was. At home. Alone. With Conner Larkin.

_I'd better just go over there and deliver this news in person. It's important. It's the first lead we've gotten. A breakthrough really when you think about it,_ he justified to himself _. She should know._ The fact that it would interfere with her romantic, or abusive, day with Conner had nothing to do with it at all.  _Not even a little bit_ , he told himself as he headed to the car.

* * *

Veronica woke up draped across Conner's chest and feeling sore.

Yesterday was a bit of a blur. She'd started in on the Percocet the minute they'd walked in the door after school. Conner had insisted that she eat with it, and she remembered him force feeding her egg rolls in between drug-induced bouts of sleeping. The rest was a bit fuzzy.

For a moment she worried that she would be late for school, but then she remembered it was Saturday. She breathed a sigh of relief. Yesterday and today would be the worst of it as far as pain was concerned. By the time school started Monday morning, she'd be good to go.

Conner must have felt her stir because he moaned and stretched. His hand began to stroke her hair, and he brushed the locks off of her face. "Mmmm. You okay? Need some more drugs?"

Veronica nodded sleepily, "Oh, yes!" she moaned. "Did I keep you up all night?"

"No, not at all. You'd just groan in your sleep about every five hours or so, so I'd just help you pop another pill. I don't sleep that much, anyways." He kissed her chastely on the head and then carefully slid his body out from underneath hers. "I was worried your dad would come back, or that you'd get up in search of meds and would fall down the stairs again."

"That was pretty terrible; I remember."

"As do I." Conner pulled his jeans over the boxers he'd slept in and then donned a tight black t-shirt. "I'm going to have Mrs. Navarro make us some breakfast so you can take your meds. I need to talk to my agent this morning, so I'll get that out of the way now, too. But, after that's taken care of, I think we should soak in the hot tub for a few hours, hmm? I'll make sure it's not too hot." Conner reached over and stroked her hair again; Veronica knew that it was the only place that he was sure didn't ache. "You, m'dear, should lay here for a while longer. I'll be back up in twenty minutes bearing an omelette and pain killers."

* * *

The conversation with his agent had taken longer than Conner had expected it to. He hastily made his way back to Veronica, hoping that she'd fallen asleep and wasn't just laying in bed in pain, waiting for him.

He was slightly alarmed when she wasn't in her room or anywhere that he could see upstairs. He made his way down to the kitchen and found her sitting at the kitchen table. Her head was resting in the crook of her arm which was draped across the table as she lazily chewed a bite of the eggs Mrs. Navarro had prepared for her. Mrs. Navarro stood watching over Veronica, a deep frown on her face. Conner looked up and gave the housekeeper a smile.

"Sorry it took me so long. I tried to get out of shooting tomorrow, but it's not going to happen. I've gotta leave tomorrow morning at the latest." Conner handed her a pill from the bottle he'd hid in his pocket. He hadn't wanted her to overindulge while he was on the phone.

"I'll feel better tomorrow." Veronica smiled as she reached for the meds. "We've really got to stop spending romantic weekends together like this. I'm liable to get spoiled," she teased. Conner could tell she was trying to stay strong, so he sat down on the seat next to hers and pulled her against his chest as they waited for the drugs to kick in.

"As soon as I'm done shooting this movie, I'll talk to your mom and we can get out of here. We'll go somewhere tropical for a week or so and sit on the beach, sipping mai-tais all day long...far away from California and...this," he promised.

"Sounds nice," she murmured against his chest. "But for now, I'll settle for a mimosa and the hot tub."

"I'll go make sure the water's nice and then play bartender. Don't go out to the patio alone while high, please. Celebrity drownings are so passé," he teased as he tousled her hair and then left the room.

* * *

Logan followed the maid's instructions through the maze that was the Echolls mansion and out to the back of the house. The French doors opened onto a large expanse of yard with a patio and a raised-edge swimming pool. Off to the side was a large hot tub, currently occupied by Veronica and who he assumed was Conner, though he couldn't see his face. They were both facing away from the house, so Logan figured they weren't aware of his approach.

"I just thought things might be different here," Logan heard Veronica say. He felt his chest tighten at the sound of her shaky sigh.

"It will be. He—" Conner's voice stopped abruptly and they both turned to see Logan standing just a few feet behind them. Logan couldn't help the sheepish grin and embarrassed blush that spread across his face. They'd caught him eavesdropping.

"Sorry about that. I didn't mean to…startle you. I come bearing news!" Logan said enthusiastically.

"News? What kind of news?" Veronica asked. Logan noted that she didn't sound quite like herself.

"I got a tip at the beach. Tell me, how are you and Madison getting along?"

"Madison?" Conner raised his eyebrows. "The one with the bad dye job that came up to LA with you last weekend?" he asked Veronica.

"Yeah. I don't know. I haven't really done much with her since then. Even on that shopping excursion we barely spoke. Lilly has a way of monopolizing…"

"Everything?" Logan offered.

"Um...yeah," Veronica said, taking a long sip of what looked like a mimosa.

"Lilly's an aggressive little thing." Conner laughed.

"You have no idea." Logan begrudgingly laughed with him.

"I may have a pretty good idea," Conner snickered, causing Logan to frown.

"Please tell me she didn't hit on you." Veronica stood and struck a defiant pose in the hot tub, which was adorable until Logan saw the purple bruises covering her midsection.

"V," Conner said. "Sit down." His tone was a definite warning, and it made Logan's blood boil.

Oblivious to the direction of Logan's thoughts, Veronica continued on, "I can't believe you didn't tell me about Lilly! It was bad enough seeing her hang all over my dad," Veronica teased Conner, laughing hard and then doubling over with a reflexive grimace. Logan could see the moment she realized her mistake. "Logan, it's not—" she coughed roughly, "—not what you think."

Logan rushed around to the other side of the hot tub and reached for Conner, "What the fuck is wrong with you? She's tiny! How could you do this to her?" he yelled, pulling Conner out of the water.

"No, Logan! Don't hit him, he has to shoot a sex scene tomorrow," Veronica warned, voice tight. She stepped out of the hot tub to intervene, but then bent over with a hiss of pain.

The absurdity of the statement snapped Logan out of the explosive rage that had been about to bubble over. He realized that Conner was completely limp in his grasp. He could see Veronica struggling for breath in his peripheral vision. Logan dropped Conner onto the patio and then looked down at him.

"I didn't do that to her, man. I would never hurt Veronica." Conner turned his gaze just to Logan's side. "Careful, baby," Conner said just before Veronica's hand gripped Logan's forearm.

"He didn't do this to me."

"I trusted you. You lied to me.  _This,"_  Logan gestured wildly at her, "did not happen at pep squad." Logan shuddered, taking in the state of Veronica. He'd been imagining her dressed like this, or in less than this, for a week. And now, the sight of her in such a skimpy bikini was anything but fantasy fulfillment.

"Enough lies, Veronica. You need to tell him," Conner said softly from where Logan had dropped him. "His dad might actually be able to help."

"Are you high, Larkin? His dad's the sheriff; that makes him the last person we should tell!" She clutched at her ribs and Logan reached out to help her sit down gingerly on a pool lounger.

"I don't care if Pretty Boy is meeting the  _president_  tomorrow. Either someone starts telling me what the hell is going on or I'm going to start throwing punches just to make myself feel better."

* * *

Veronica reached out and took Logan's hand. His face was red with anger and she believed him when he said he was going to start throwing punches. But she'd had enough of violent rages; she wanted the Logan who had wrapped her in his sweatshirt when he thought she was cold. The Logan who offered his help to a stranger for no reason she could think of other than it was his nature.  _Maybe I've had one too many mimosas…_

"Logan, look at me." He turned his face down to her torso and winced, then looked like he was going to go after Conner again. "No, stop." She gripped his hand tighter. "I lied. I've lied to you...well a lot, actually. Um...where to start."

"At the beginning?" Logan offered, his voice harsh still.

"Not yet, I'm not ready to tell you that much truth." She took a few measured breaths, "Let's start on Wednesday." Logan didn't look pleased, but nodded and didn't pull his hand away, instead he began to rub gentle circles with his thumb. "The call I got...it wasn't Conner. It was my dad. And the bruises on my arms the next day, the ones you saw at the beach, he gave me those because I was late to a photoshoot I knew nothing about."

"Your knee?" he asked, his anger replaced by concern.

"That really did happen at pep squad. And it has me wondering if Madison did it on purpose." Veronica squnched up her face. Her thoughts were slower than usual from the Percocet-Mimosa combination.

"Don't change the subject. You didn't seem this…" he waved his hand at her, "well, like this on Thursday at the beach."

"This happened Thursday night. Conner I'm going to need another mimosa."

"Are you…" she glared at him, "yes, princess, one fresh mimosa coming up." Conner finally got up from his place on the ground and headed for the outdoor wet bar.

Veronica was so distracted watching Conner walk away, and avoiding continuing the discussion if she were being honest, that she jumped when she felt a towel draping over her shoulders. She groaned in pain at having tightened her stomach muscles.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean...I didn't think that would startle you." Logan retreated back a step.

"Please don't make me tell you about this. It was awful and I don't want to think about it. Can you just accept that it wasn't Conner?"

"I dunno, Veronica. Was this the first time?" She wanted to say yes. "Don't lie," Logan prompted.  _How does he do that? It's like he really can see right through me sometimes._

"Not the first time. Probably won't be the last."

"God, Veronica!" Logan collapsed onto the lounger next to her. "How long has this been going on that you're so...so, I dunno, blasé about it?"

"As long as I can remember." Veronica glanced at Logan and saw that his eyes were glassy, but before she could comment, Conner returned and put her refilled glass into her hand, kissed her on the cheek and turned to Logan.

"Um...we were actually in the hot tub for a reason; any chance I can talk you into joining us in there. It will help her sore muscles and she might as well be comfortable as we finish giving you the synopsis of our Lifetime movie of the week." Conner offered, a little twinkle in his eye.

Veronica couldn't help but smirk, "You just want to see if he's as hot without a shirt on as I described," she teased, and then realized that she'd just admitted she thought Logan was hot.  _Oops_.

Logan's jaw dropped and he looked back and forth between the two of them several times in rapid succession before a sexy smile spread across his face. "You think I'm hot?"

"You know you're hot, Mars, now ditch the shirt so Conner can stop accusing me of exaggerating."

"You just came from surfing right?" Conner asked. Veronica giggled; she knew where he was headed.

"Um...yeah," Logan answered, pulling off his t-shirt.

"You wear wetsuit shorts?" Conner leered at Logan.

"Yes, I do wear them. I'm wearing a pair right now. Why do you ask? Um...Veronica, is your boyfriend hitting on me?" Logan looked incredulous.

"Conner, are you hitting on Logan? 'Cause, I'm pretty sure I'm more his type than you are." She giggled again and then winced as Conner helped her back into the hot tub.

"I'm an equal opportunity admirer; isn't that what you're always saying? Besides, that show would be as much for you as me." Conner chuckled.

"Holy shit. I am not a piece of meat! What is wrong with you two?" Logan asked, exasperation clear in his voice.

"Oh, yes. Wholesome, too, just like you said." Conner laughed.

Veronica held up her mimosa to cheers with Conner, who clinked her glass with his own. "Well, Mars, you already know I think you're hot. And let's be honest, I'm not having a great couple of days...any chance you're feeling a little frisky?"

"Okay, that's it. You're cut off; no more mimosas for you!" he said to Veronica. "Are you guys always like this?"

Veronica giggled as she took another sip of her drink. "No, not always. Just when circumstance calls for it."

Conner nodded in agreement. "Sometimes dark humor and mimosas are what get you through the day, Mars. Feel free to run while you can, or you just join us in the hot tub. But I warn you, you might want to pour yourself a mimosa before you get in. It's not a pretty tale."

"I'll pass on the drink for now. But I'll take my chances with two of you in the hot tub. Wow, I feel like I just stepped into the twilight zone."

Maybe that was true, but Veronica was tipsy enough not to care at the moment. She silently thanked Poseidon for the invention of wetsuit shorts and Logan for his willingness to be a bit of an exhibitionist, as he stripped off his board shorts and hopped into the hot tub. He took a seat close enough to Veronica that their legs bumped against each other.

"Now then, I'm here. Let's talk."

* * *

Logan looked down at Veronica snoring softly in his lap, her body sprawled across the couch with her feet resting in Conner's lap. He brushed a few stray hairs out of her face, letting his fingers linger against her smooth skin. It had taken a long time, but she'd finally fallen asleep. Logan decided to take advantage of having Conner alone. "How did you find out? I can't imagine she told you willingly."

Conner barked out a wry laugh, "Willingly? No, it was definitely not that. Um...it was just over a year ago. We'd been 'seeing' each other for a few months and I was filming this terrible action adventure film with Aaron. Our publicists had really been pushing for Veronica and I to be seen in public as much as possible, so I went over to pick her up for a very public dinner date. Anyway, I got there early. When no one answered the door, I let myself in. As I was heading to the stairs to go to her room, I heard someone yelling. So I follow the noise to Aaron's study. He was screaming. Apparently, Veronica had accidently walked in on him with one of her classmates...Aaron has a thing for disgustingly young girls. He threw a ceramic ashtray at her…" Conner paused and wiped at his eyes, "Um...anyway, I stepped into the hall bathroom so he wouldn't see me, and, after I was sure he was gone, went in to find her. She was like this," he indicated Veronica's current physical condition, "She couldn't exactly deny it since I'd heard him."

"And you didn't do anything?"

"I've done a lot of things. You don't get it. A nanny, a few maids, even one of their gardeners tried to get her help. You know what it got them? Fired, deported and one of the maids lost custody of her kid. At some point you just try to minimize the damage."

_I wouldn't do that. If Veronica were mine, I wouldn't rest until she was safely far away from him,_  Logan scoffed.

"How very noble of you. Hiding in closets and behind a fear of retribution. Quite the hero, there, Larkin," Logan scoffed.

"It wasn't like that. It's  _not_  like that. Most of the time I've kept her safe; I've kept her busy. I've kept her from being passed around to directors and producers and God knows who else," Conner was defensive, but also sounded...resigned. This, apparently, was just the way it was, and while today had rocked Logan's world, to Conner and Veronica it was just another day.

"What are you talking about, passed around?" Logan looked down to the girl lying on his lap. She looked so innocent.

"I'm talking about Aaron Echolls using his daughter to advance his own Hollywood agenda, that's what. Veronica and I were a set up. A set up that Aaron enjoyed until it had run its course. She and I hit it off instantly. I didn't like Aaron any more than she did. Aaron  _encouraged_  our relationship because it suited him. After I found out what was going on, Veronica and I struck up an...arrangement of sorts."

"An arrangement?"

"We loved being together. The press loved it. My agent loved it. It helped protect me from media scrutiny and kept Veronica away from Aaron...until recently."

Logan instinctively wrapped his arms around Veronica and pulled her a little closer.  _This is just sick_.

"Recently, Aaron decided that he'd had enough of she and I as a couple. He began to pressure her to throw me over to date the douchebag son of a Hollywood giant. That was when Lynn, Veronica and I decided that a change of scenery was long overdue. The move to Neptune was ideal. They already had the house here, and it was unused most of the time, and thus perfect. It would keep her away from LA and her father's...whims, so-to-speak."

"Except that didn't work, now did it, Conner?" Logan stared down the other man. "Here we are, and here she is."

"Yes, which brings me to the real reason for my trip down here. Before all this happened, I'd planned to come to Neptune to speak to Veronica...about you."

"Me? How do you even know about me?"

"Are you kidding? She's my best friend. We tell each other everything—almost everything. And, I assure you, the sheriff's son has been a hot topic of conversation this past week."

Logan couldn't help but chuckle at that. His friends would probably say the same thing about Veronica.

"I can't be here all the time. I need someone here who can...look out for her."

"Look out for her? You make her sound like a parakeet that I can take home every first and third Thursday. You're her  _boyfriend,_  and I've known her eight days.  _You're_  supposed to love her, not me." Logan looked down at Veronica again.

"I  _do_  love her, more than anything. I just don't happen to be  _in love_  with her." Logan's head snapped back up to meet Conner's.

"What makes you think I want to be a part of any of this?"

"Oh, I don't know...by seeing how you're looking at her right now. By the way you were about to pummel me earlier."

"This is crazy. Why can't we just go to my dad? He's not bribable; he isn't corruptible. He would lose his job if that's what it would take to stop Aaron Echolls."

"I don't disagree with you on any of those points. But the fact remains that she is seventeen now. She turns eighteen in August. This is the home stretch. We have less than nine months to go. And you don't know her very well, yet, but it is her risk, so it has to be her decision. She's spent too many years having essentially no control of her own life; I won't take this decision away from her."

"And what if something happens to her in those months? What if the next ashtray he throws doesn't miss?" Logan asked.

"Well, we can't let that happen, now can we? That, my friend, is where you come in."

_This is crazy,_  Logan thought.  _I just met her last week, and yet...there's just something about her. How can I_ not _help her?_  Besides the sleepless nights this topic had already caused him, he couldn't get her out of his mind. He wanted to protect her. He'd had trouble leaving her alone since the first moment he'd laid eyes on her next to the flag pole. And that was before he'd learned all this. He realized that the issue of him helping or not really wasn't a question at all.  _And if she's not really_ with _Conner…_

His mind made up, Logan looked up at Conner and asked, "What do I need to do?"

* * *

**Sunday, December 12**

Conner was in a hurry Sunday morning. He had to shower, pack and get on the road by ten if he was going to get back to the city in time to take care of some things before he needed to get into hair and makeup.

Once he was dressed and ready, he threw all of his stuff into his bag and then moved to grab Lynn's bottle of Percocet off of Veronica's bedside table. It was missing. Conner's eyes narrowed as he looked toward the direction of the hallway.  _What is she up to?_

He saw her immediately when he reached the main sitting room. She was sitting in an armchair with her elbows on her knees and her head buried in her hands.

"Veronica? What's wrong?" He bent over and gave her a hard look. "Did you take the meds already? I'm sorry I made you wait while I got my things together...do you need to lie down?"

Veronica just nodded.

"I don't think I can make it upst–ssstairs," she slurred and set her head back down on her hands. He got a whiff of her breath and blanched. He took the bottle out of her hands.

"Babygirl, how many of those did you you take?"

"A few," she smiled up at him, high as a kite.

He reached out and stroked her face. "And what did you drink?"

"Vodka?" she giggled.

"Are you asking me or telling me?" Conner let out a frustrated sigh.

"I  _might_  have used some vodka as chaser. Dis much," She held up her hand and tried to indicate that she hadn't drunk much by holding a space between her thumb and pointer finger. It didn't work, she wasn't coordinated enough. She giggled and hiccupped, "Okay, maybe more…"

Conner hoisted her up to her feet and half carried-half dragged her up over to the couch. He didn't know how he was going to leave her today. He couldn't drive away with her in this state.

He'd have to call on the Mars kid earlier than he'd planned.

He pulled out his phone and found the number he'd programmed in from Veronica's phone the day before. It took a second for the call to connect. Logan's voice was groggy when he answered.

"Hey there...so about that favor…"

The conversation had lasted only a few minutes, but Conner felt better as he disconnected the call. Logan would arrive just before he had to leave. He walked back over to where Veronica lay on the couch and sat down next to her.

"Okay, your boy-toy is on his way."

"I thought you were my boy-toy," she protested, frowning. "I don' wancha to go," she pouted.

Conner didn't like leaving her either, but telling her so wouldn't help anything right now. "I was talking about the sheriff's son. You can't do this anymore, babygirl. You know that, right?" Conner began. She was drunk and high, but he hoped she would hear him. He reached out and took her hand which made her turn her glazed-over eyes to his.

"What? Get beat up by a sociopath? Believe me, 'snot as easy azit sounds," she slurred.

"No, drink yourself into oblivion. Don't make me have to put you in rehab. Don't become a cliché. Drinking isn't going to help anything." His voice was kind but forceful. He had to make her understand.

"Really? 'Cause I was feelin' a whole lot better 'til this li'l talk." She was serious.

"Don't become your mom, okay? You're better than that, stronger than that. And you've got me...and now, Logan." He saw a tear escape from her eye and brushed it away and rested his forehead against hers.

She nodded and he settled her down onto the couch and pulled a blanket over her. He moved into the living room to go call his personal physician and make sure she would be okay. He couldn't leave her with Logan if she was going to have some strange reaction to the drugs mixed with that much liquor. She was too little to use too much of either without it being dangerous. Dr. Spaceman was familiar with Veronica's case and understood the consequences of what was going on with her. And he'd been paid well to keep his mouth shut.

* * *

Conner's early morning wakeup call had interrupted Logan in the midst of a nightmare about Veronica. And he couldn't deny that he was relieved. She'd been tied up and he couldn't get to her. Every turn he'd made was a dead end and he could hear her screaming.  _This is going to be a long nine months if I can't change her mind about telling my dad_.

A quick shower and an apple had Logan out the door and headed for the Echolls estate. Normally, he'd have had to explain his coming and goings, but with his dad completely wrapped up in the e-string killer case, Logan had a great deal of freedom these days. Keith was often very busy, but Logan was going to have to come up a really great reason for all the time he'd inevitably be spending with Veronica.

Conner was going to be a problem. Logan's dad didn't pay overly close attention to celebrity news, but even he would think it was odd if an 09er with a famous boyfriend was spending all her free time with Logan. Of course, what Logan really wanted was to be her boyfriend, which would solve a lot of problems...including his overwhelming desire to kiss her.

Logan pulled up to the gate and hit the call button. The gate opened immediately, and Logan made his way up the Echolls' driveway. He hadn't even shifted into park when Conner emerged from the front door carrying two bags.

"Thanks for coming so quickly, man." Conner smiled at Logan as he threw the bags into his car.

Logan immediately felt out of his element again. Conner and he were in totally different leagues.

"I'm sorry, she...well, she got into the medicine and liquor cabinets while I was in the shower and self-medicated."

"Self-medicated? What does that even mean? You let her drink while on meds yesterday." Logan's peers had been drinking since middle school, but this was a whole different ballgame.

"It means she took too many pills and chased them with a tumbler full of vodka. She's a mess; you'll see." Conner replied. "I called my personal physician and he said that she's not in any danger of overdosing; she just needs to sleep it off. Don't worry, I already hid the booze."

_What have I gotten myself into?_ Logan thought wearily as Conner handed him a prescription bottle, rattled off instructions for the medicine and gave Logan the house's security codes.  _I really should call Dad right now._ Conner must have noticed his hesitance.

"Don't panic, dude, it's going to be fine. She's a little loose lipped, but she'll mostly stay asleep. Keep the door to the pool deck locked until she sobers up, and watch her on the stairs; she broke her arm falling down the stairs at their old home last year while in a similar state. Her room is at the top of the stairs, third door on the right, if you guys want to crash there later."

"What about her dad?" Logan asked. There was no way he was going to sit around on the couch with Veronica while Aaron Echolls admired his handiwork.

"He's going to stay in LA. Her mom will be back late tonight or early tomorrow morning. You don't need to stay the night. Once she sobers up, she'll be okay."

_Clearly he's been through this before._ "So this is a normal occurrence?"

"No, not at all. But it happens sometimes. She had a rough night." Conner led Logan through the house to where Veronica was asleep on the couch. "Hey, babygirl, I have to go." Conner kissed her on the corner of her mouth which made Logan want scream.

"No, don' wanna be here alone…" she grumbled.

"Logan's here," Conner mentioned as he stood up straight. Veronica popped up at that.

"What? You called him? But he'll find out about...oh…" she trailed off and let her head fall back on the couch.

All Logan's hesitation disappeared at the sight of her. Even when she was a mess she was beautiful.

"Okay, I gotta run. I love you, baby. I'll call you later. Don't give Logan too hard of a time, okay?" She nodded at him. "Thanks again, man," Conner said to Logan, clapping him on the back as he made his way back to the foyer. He was out the door before Logan could even say goodbye.

"I can't believe he called you...can't believe I tol' you about…" she trailed off and Logan saw tears gathering in her eyes. "Oh God," she groaned and buried her face in her hand.

Logan crouched down in front of the couch and affected a southern drawl like the one she'd used on him the other day at the beach. "Veronica Echolls, are you suddenly shy? Where's the girl who ogled me in my wetsuit shorts in the hot tub yesterday?" When she threw apart her hands to give him a look of horror, he gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry—just another Saturday night for me. I'm like a drunk girl magnet." He laughed when she groaned again.

"How'z it possible you get hotter e'ry time I see you?" she asked, smiling up at him.

Logan assumed that the question was rhetorical, but he answered it anyway. "Just lucky, I guess. I'm glad you like the view." He laughed her statement off even though, despite her stupor, she seemed sincere.

"Think 'bout you all the time. I lay in bed for hours thinkin'...about…tellin' you truth...about tellin' you e'ry…" she took a deep breath, "thing. You made me mad," she poked him in the chest with a shaky finger, "Still want to kiss you. Guess I did, huh? Don' think I kissed you..." she trailed off, clearly having lost her train of thought. "Lo-gan?" she looked shy again. "Will you sit wit me? Don' like bein' alone…" she trailed off again, close to falling asleep.

_As if I could deny her anything,_  Logan thought as he reached for the bag he'd dropped when he'd entered the room and pulled out a copy of  _Waiting for Godot._ There would surely be a quiz on Monday in English, and he was way behind. He sat down on the opposite corner of the couch, figuring that he'd stay close by but give her some space.

Veronica, it appeared, had other ideas. When she noticed him settled near her feet, she gingerly sat up and scooted over to situate herself against him. He instinctively moved to put his arm around her and she ended up laying across him with their chests pressed together as she looked up at him with her big blue eyes. They sat that way, just looking at each other, for a few moments, and Logan swore it was one of the most intimate moments of his life. His breath hitched, and he suddenly had an overwhelming desire to kiss her. Her mouth was just inches away from his, but he held back; this wasn't the right moment for them. When he kissed Veronica Echolls for the first time, she was going to be awake and lucid. She was going to remember it.

After a short time, Logan watched as her eyes fluttered shut and exhaled and softly murmured "Glad you came, Logan," as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

A few hours later, Veronica was still sound asleep. Logan had taken a quick snooze himself and then finished reading the end of  _Waiting for Godot_. He was loathe to move her, but his butt was numb and he was in serious need of using the facilities. Carefully, he slid out from underneath her and gently rearranged her so that she could rest comfortably.

When Logan came out of the bathroom he'd found near the kitchen, he decided to make himself a sandwich. He was surprised when he entered the kitchen to find an older hispanic woman unloading the dishwasher. "I'm just going to make myself a sandwich if that's okay," he said uncomfortably as he walked past her to the refrigerator. The woman immediately put down the dish she was holding and brushed him aside.

"I can make you something, sir. What would you like?" Logan's eyes widened at her words. He'd been friends with enough 09ers to be familiar with the concept of a housekeeper, but he'd never really been comfortable with people waiting on him. His parents had always worked, so he'd been making his own lunch since middle school.

"No, it's no problem; I'll just take care of it," he insisted, taking another step toward the icebox.

"You just go into the room with Miss Veronica, and I'll bring it in right away," she countered, leaving no room for further discussion on the subject. "I leave early on Sundays, so it's the least I can do. I'll leave the takeout menus out so you can order dinner."

"I'm sure I can just whip something up," Logan saw the woman smile patronizingly at him as he left the kitchen.

On his way back to Veronica, Logan passed a hallway lined with Aaron Echolls' movie posters and the sight of the man made him shudder. He felt sad that Veronica had to see her father's face everywhere and endure everyone's praise of him all the time. Logan didn't think he'd be as tolerant as he'd seen Veronica be when her father was mentioned.

While Logan waited for his sandwich to be delivered, he sat in a large, overstuffed loveseat and contemplated the situation in which he found himself. There was no doubt in his mind that he was falling fast for Veronica Echolls. She was only five feet away from him, and he missed her touch.  _You're in trouble, Mars. This whole thing has tragedy written all over it. 09ers and regular schmoes never work out, and socioeconomics are just the tip of the iceberg here._  But it didn't seem like the attraction between them was a one way street. Joking flirtation in the hot tub aside, she'd just admitted that she thought about him. A lot. Just the thought of it made him warm and tingly inside. There was really no walking away from this; she was smart and beautiful and kind. She was like the trifecta of girlfriends, and even his friends liked her.  _This is happening, Mars. You were halfway into it before you even knew it had begun. There's no turning back now._

His phone pinged in his pocket and Logan picked it up to find that 'douchebag' had sent him a text.

**Douchebag** : 'How are things in the twilight zone?'

_I guess I really ought to change that name now. Larkin's kinda growing on me, and he means a lot to Veronica. Not that I'm going to admit to anyone that those are his real abs._

Logan shot him a reply.

**Logan** : 'Fine, I guess. V not up yet.'

**Douchebag** : 'As long as she's breathing, you're OK. She's breathing, right?'

**Logan** : 'Mirror under nose 5 minutes ago. We're in the clear. Also some lady is making me a sandwich?'

**Douchebag** : 'Mrs. Navarro. She likes V, so I like her. Makes great tamales if you need dinner. Shooting in 5...will text later.'

_Navarro? Weevil's...grandma? Why am I always surprised at how small Neptune is?_

At that moment, the woman in question arrived with his sandwich. She smiled at Logan when she handed him his sandwich and then turned her eyes to Veronica. She'd kicked off her covers and her shirt had ridden up enough to reveal a few bruises on her torso. He wondered if he should try to explain, or at least go cover her up, but he remained seated and silent.

" _Pobrecita_ ," she murmured and then whispered, " _¡Dios mío!_ " as she walked back to the kitchen. At that moment, Logan understood why so few people had tried to help Veronica, and even more so why the one's that had tried to help her had failed. Staff was dispensable and well-paid jobs were not. Logan was determined to not be just another person who failed Veronica Echolls. If things continued to escalate, he'd have to tell his father. Even if it meant losing her.

* * *

Veronica was in a panic. A sudden onset of bright light blinded her momentarily and then all she could see was a swirl of images: Lilly Kane speaking to her about pep squad and trying to make her take a uniform, her mother explaining how happy they would be in Neptune, the sheriff interrogating her, Madison trying to slip fake IDs into her hands. Everyone was talking at her. She backed away from their demands and found herself at the edge of her pool. She couldn't back up any farther or she'd fall in. It was all just too much; she was overwhelmed. Her father appeared and pushed his way to the front of the crowd. Suddenly the others had disappeared, and she was left alone with only him. Veronica didn't know how to escape; there was nowhere to go. She watched as Aaron produced an ash tray out of thin air and hurled it at her face. She tried to duck, but she lost her balance. It hit her on her left temple, knocking her off her feet. Then she was falling...falling...and then splash!

She fought against the water for a moment before she lost strength. She tried to call out to Conner, but the water was murky and red with blood, her blood; it filled her lungs, choking her. And then, out of nowhere came a pair of piercing brown eyes. Eyes that could see right through her, but for once she wasn't afraid. They brought a sense of calm. She wanted to stay lost in those eyes forever, so she relaxed her body and stopped fighting.  _There's no escaping the inevitable, Veronica. Isn't that what you always say?_  Her own voice lulled her back to sleep.

* * *

Veronica began to stir just before two in the afternoon. Mrs. Navarro had left just a few minutes after she'd finished delivering the laundry to the bedrooms upstairs, and Logan had purposefully taken his time eating so that he could take care of his own dishes. When he saw Veronica begin to grumble and shift around a bit, he padded into the kitchen and loaded his dishes into the dishwasher. Then he grabbed the bread and a Gatorade out of the fridge for Veronica. It had been a pretty uneventful day so far. He knew that Veronica would wake up sore, so he popped a piece of bread into the toaster for her so she'd have something to eat when she took her Advil. Conner had been very insistent that she not take any more Percocet. Logan hoped that Veronica wouldn't protest too much. He had a feeling that standing up to Veronica Echolls wasn't going to be his strong suit.

He heard the click of a door closing just as he began to butter the toast and looked up.

_The housekeeper must have forgotten something._  "Mrs. Navarro?" he called out, expecting to see her enter the kitchen. His call was met with only silence. "Mrs. Navarro?" Logan wended his way through the kitchen, past the staff entrance, and back toward the family room.

Instead of finding Veronica asleep on the coach, there was a wadded up blanket where she used to be.  _Good thing the toast is almost ready,_  Logan thought as he walked to the restroom to make sure that she was okay. "Veronica, you okay in there?" he rounded the corner to find the bathroom door ajar and the light off.  _Could she have gone up to her room?_  It seemed unlikely, but he moved toward the staircase and called up to the second story landing. "Veronica, you up there?"

If it weren't for the complete silence he might not have even heard the soft splash from the direction of the family room.  _What in the...?_ Logan moved swiftly through the house and back to the family room. He looked through the French doors and saw the ripple of the pool water as it sloshed over the side and onto the pool deck.  _Holy—_

Logan burst through the doors and out onto the pool deck, and when he got closer to the edge, he could see Veronica laid out and calm on the bottom of the pool. He wasted no time at all before jumping in, grabbing ahold of Veronica and hauling her to the surface. The water wasn't deep, so he easily hoisted her over the side and onto the concrete. Veronica immediately came to with a sputter as she coughed up the water in her lungs.

Logan pushed himself out of the pool and moved immediately to Veronica's side, shifting her into the recovery position he had learned during the first responder and water safety class he had taken. Veronica coughed up more water and took harsh breaths, but she was breathing.

"Holy shit, Veronica. What the hell happened?" Logan asked once her breathing had calmed and all the water seemed to be out.

"I dunno." Her voice was raspy and low. "I was dreaming...and then…" Veronica looked up into Logan's face, her eyes soft and wide, "I saw you." She moved to sit cross-legged and reached her hand out. Her fingers were cool to the touch where they made contact with Logan's cheek. He leaned into her touch, feeling a heat spread through him in direct contrast with her temperature. "Thank you," she pushed up onto her knees and pressed her lips chastely against the corner of Logan's mouth.

Her voice had been so small but her actions had Logan's heart racing. She could have died and all he could think about was closing the distance between them, but he was frozen in place.

Veronica shifted back away from him, shaking her head, a look of embarrassment gracing her delicate face. She had put her still shaking hands to the ground and was starting to push up to standing when Logan regained control of his body. He reached out and pulled her into him, crashing his lips against hers. She gasped as Logan traced his tongue along her full lower lip. He deepened the kiss, moving his hand to her lower back to bring her closer. Waves of heat and pleasure coursed through Logan as Veronica moaned into his mouth.

Logan shuddered at the feel of Veronica against him, she was practically vibrating against him. And that's when he realized she wasn't vibrating, but shivering. Logan pulled back, regretting the loss of contact, but finally coming back to reality enough to acknowledge they were both soaking wet and sitting outside in December.

"Let's get inside and warmed back up," he said before kissing her full lips once more.

Holding Veronica close, Logan stood and swung her into a bridal hold.  _She weighs nothing, how could anyone ever hurt someone so small_? he thought as he carried her back toward the house. He headed straight upstairs. He wanted to get her into a warm shower or bath to get her body temperature back up.

Veronica remained quiet as Logan pulled her into her bathroom and quickly got the shower turned on. He took off his wet t-shirt and brought her against his chest with a towel wrapped around her back. He hoped to give her some of his body heat, but wasn't brave enough to strip her clothes off, not that she was wearing much to begin with. After a few seconds, he felt her arms encircle his waist and her head lean into his chest. Logan looked down and pushed wet strands of her hair off her forehead, the gesture caused her to stare up at him. She had clearly sobered up a lot, he could tell, but she was still in a daze. If he were honest with himself, he felt like he was in a fog as well.

The shower water still wasn't quite warm enough, so Logan took advantage of the time to give her four advil and a cup of water. She was still shivering, though not as much as before. Logan pressed his lips against her temple and ran his hands up and down her arms over the towel, trying to warm her.

The room had steamed up from the heat, and Logan knew it was time to get her into the shower but he also didn't want to let go of her. He gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead, "I'm going to go grab dry clothes from my car, then I'll be waiting for you downstairs, okay?"

"Okay," he heard her faint reply before slipping out of the room.

Once Logan was alone in Veronica's bedroom, he was swamped with guilt. Conner had warned him about keeping the door out to the pool locked. But he'd gotten so wrapped up in watching her sleep and feeling her snuggled up with him that he'd completely forgotten.  _Stupid stupid stupid,_ he berated himself while grabbing his extra clothes from his car that he kept for surfing. He threw his wet clothes into the dryer in the laundry room and sat down on the couch.  _What the hell just happened, Mars?_ he wondered to himself.

* * *

The shower felt amazing after the cold of the pool and winter air. Veronica stood under the stream with her eyes closed for several moments and just let the warmth envelop her. Logan's kiss had meshed with the dream and the fall into the pool, and it was hard for her to discern one event from the other. The shower was sobering her up, however, and her mind slowly began to unravel the events of the past two days. By the time Veronica stepped out of the shower, she was quite lucid. Without the veil of alcohol to shield her, she found herself feeling acutely hungover and embarrassed.  _What did you do, Veronica?_

She took her time getting dressed after her shower. She brushed her teeth and blow-dried her hair, feeling no hurry to face Logan. She had no idea what to say to him.

The house was so quiet when Veronica emerged from the her bedroom that she was almost afraid that Logan had gone home. When she passed the foyer, she peeked out the window and didn't know if she was excited or disappointed to see his SUV still in the driveway. Veronica took a deep breath and entered the family room to find Logan was sitting on the couch, staring blindly at the blank TV. He hadn't noticed her approach and she took a moment to study him. He was wearing different clothes, she noted, and vaguely wondered where they'd come from. She swung her gaze out to the patio and her breath caught at the sight of the pool.  _What must he think of me? That I like to get high and drunk...that I'm possibly suicidal?_  But she wasn't suicidal. Sometimes she just became a little hell bent on self-destruction. Sometimes all the abuse and playacting for the outside world was just too much. It didn't happen often.  _But there's no way that he could know that,_  she sighed.  _Where do I even start?_

He turned at that moment and his eyes met hers. Veronica fought her instinct to look away from him.  _You owe him this much, Veronica._  She smiled as she approached the couch and sat down next to him, happy to see a hint of a smile cross his lips as well before he looked away. She reached out and took his hand in hers, which made him look back up at her.

"Logan, I'm so sorry. What you saw...what I did this weekend...it's not me." He looked lost. He looked like he had no idea what to do.

"Veronica, what happened? The booze and the drugs, and then...I mean, Conner warned me about the pool, but you weren't drunk and high when you went in the pool." Logan sounded sad and confused and like someone who was in way over his head.

"I just wanted to escape...everything's so screwed up, and—"

"So, what? So you just run away and hide?"

"Not exactly, I just—"

"Look, Veronica, I really like you. I think...well, I really like you, but I've tried to be someone's sponsor and it didn't work out. My mom, well she started drinking, a lot, the summer before my freshman year, and I tried to help her…" Logan trailed away after his voice broke. He turned his gaze to his hands and blinked rapidly while lifting a hand to run roughly through his hair. Veronica's heart broke for him. Logan cleared his throat. "What I'm trying to say is that I have some experience with beautiful, self-destructive women, and it doesn't seem to ever end well for me."

Veronica's eyes filled with tears, and she found that she couldn't stop herself from touching him. She reached out and ran her hand down his cheek and loved it when he let out a sigh and leaned into her touch. "I don't want to be my mom," she whispered so softly that he barely heard her. He brought his eyes up to meet hers again.

"What?"

"I said I don't want to be my mom. The last two days are a bit fuzzy, but I remember Conner telling me that I was going to become my mom. I don't want that. She used to be wonderful, Logan. We had so much fun together, and she took me everywhere with her. We went to tea and shopped and just...were together. Now she's...well, she's different. Aaron is hard to deal with, but I don't want to fade away like she has. I don't want to become another one of my father's puppets either, though." She scoffed, "Conner said I was strong. He said that I wasn't alone—that I had him...and you. Now I've done something stupid, and I'm afraid that I lost you before we even got started."

"I'm still here," he said simply. "But, Veronica, the pool. Conner warned me, but I thought you'd sobered up. I didn't think that you'd...you weren't even trying to swim."

"I don't know what happened. I was asleep. There was a dream...I can't remember it all right now, but my dad, he threw an ashtray at my head and—" she stopped for a moment, fighting tears again. "And he hit me with it and I was dying and I just wanted to float away. It's never happened before."

Logan tugged on her hand and pulled her so that she was leaning against his side and he slid his arm around her shoulders. "For the record, I don't want you to float away," Logan kissed the top of her head and then tucked her under his chin.

* * *

After a few moments of silence, Veronica spoke up, her tone hesitant. "So...I kissed you."

Logan smiled against her hair. "Yeah, I noticed that."

"You kissed me back," Veronica stated, sounding hesitant.

"Yeah, I picked up on that, too," he chuckled softly.

"Well you  _are_  a detective...you have to be perceptive," she teased.

"I'm afraid my detecting skills are coming up short when it comes to you. You're an absolute mystery to me."

"I'm not that complex, really," she responded, looking up into his eyes and kissing the corner of his mouth like she'd done earlier by the pool. He could feel his hesitation melting away. He wanted her so damn much.

Logan leaned forward and shifted so that he could catch her face in both hands as he kissed her back. Slowly he deepened the kiss, turning his head so that he could gain better access to her mouth. One of them groaned, he wasn't sure which of them it was, but it spurred him on. He moved her carefully so that she was straddling him and took advantage of his arms being free. He found the hem of her shirt and pushed it out of the way so that he had access to the bare flesh of her back and sides. His touch made her shiver and he pulled back to look at her. He wanted her so much that he actually ached.

"Veronica, what are we doing?" His words came out breathy.

"I'm sorry. We're past the discussion part of this program. We're on to the make out," she answered a little breathless, her hands wrapping around his neck to pull her back to him.

"Veronica you have a boyfriend," he countered. "Or you have a...Conner...whatever you want to call him. You're life is very public. Your  _relationship_  is very public."

"That's all true. And it can't change for a while, I'm afraid," she leaned in to kiss him again.

"So, what are we doing?" he persisted, unwilling to stop kissing, but trying to keep a clear head.

She giggled against his mouth. "No idea."

He kissed her again then, more passionately than before. He knew he was about to lose his wits. Nothing at that moment was as important as the two of them being together.

He pressed his forehead against hers and smiled. "You know what? Secrets are kinda hot, too," he whispered as he devoured her mouth once more.

* * *

Eventually they'd had to stop kissing to catch their breath. Veronica had decided that it was time to cool things down a little. She ordered Chinese takeout and then got a soda out of the fridge for each of them. She wanted to show Logan that she could do normal things, be normal. An idea suddenly hit her.  _A movie! Normal teenagers cuddle while watching movies._

Veronica pulled him into Aaron's screening room. When she caught him eyeing the elaborate set up, she immediately regretted her decision. Normal kids didn't have screening rooms; normal kids watched movies on TVs that they shared with their parents. She sighed and looked sheepishly at him. "Or maybe we could just go watch a movie in my room?" she asked him hopefully.

Logan's eyes lit up even more and he shook his head at her. "No way. This is fantastic! I've spent lots of time at the Kane estate, but their house is stuffy and boring.  _This_  is amazing. This is exactly what I would have in my house if I was…." he trailed off, looking embarrassed.

"Rich? It's okay, Logan. You can say it. Aaron is grossly overpaid. But sometimes it has it's advantages." She smiled up at him, pleased that he liked it.

"Wallace would just  _die_. I mean, he'd literally drop dead at the sight of this. Please tell me you have more than just Aaron Echolls movies lying around," Logan was bouncing a little, looking like a kid in a candy shop.

"Well, we can have Wallace over any time you'd like. And thankfully Aaron's taste in movies trumps his acting ability." Just then the security gate buzzed, so she turned to him and smiled again. He looked so happy. "Go check out those drawers over there," she said, pointing to the built-in cabinet on the opposite wall. "Pick anything you'd like. I'll go pay for dinner."

Veronica returned a few moments later, bags of food in hand, to find Logan giddily holding up two movies for her to choose from. "Seriously? You want to spend our first semi-date watching Easy Rider?"  _Semi-date? Where did that come from?_

"Um….no. I was going to ask to borrow it," he lied not-so-smoothly. "I was thinking The Big Lebowski," he looked at her with puppy dog eyes.

"I'm in for The Dude," Veronica said, sliding the food containers onto the table next to one seat. "You okay with chopsticks and eating out of the containers, Mars?"

Logan's eyes lit up again, "Absolutely," he responded as he tore the plastic bag and began rummaging through the different boxes of food.

"Just don't take my egg rolls," she warned him.

"I wouldn't dream of it," he gave her a quick kiss on the lips as he stole an egg roll out of the container she was holding and then stepped back to grin up at her as he took a huge bite.

"Oh, you are  _so_  going to regret that, mister," she laughed back at him. She took the egg rolls with her to start the movie so he couldn't sneak any more of them.

The rest of the evening flew by. They ate together while quoting movie lines. They passed the food containers back and forth and tried to distract each other while they stole bites out of the other's boxes. Veronica couldn't remember a more normal evening. It was exactly what she'd needed.

* * *

"Sylvia, I don't care what Aaron said. Or Harvey, for that matter. You're my assistant and I know you weren't trying to cause problems. Now please calm down and I'll see you back here in Neptune tomorrow afternoon." Lynn was at her wits' end. Moving to Neptune was supposed to make things better, not create a new set of problems. She sighed and pressed the button in her car to open the security gate.

Luckily, the awards benefit had gone well. Aaron had been adored by his fans and she had smiled and a been gracious wife. It was what she was used to; it was all she'd really gotten to do for the last few years. Lynn rubbed her temples. The headaches came and went, but the most uncomfortable part of cutting out her alcohol consumption was the insomnia.  _It'll be worth it. This latest affair will stop being news soon and he'll go back to living in LA_.

Lynn was surprised as she pulled around the drive to find a bright yellow SUV parked next to Veronica's little convertible.  _Conner's back in LA,_ she was sure of it. She strode up to the door and walked in, expecting to find the house quiet since the lights were all off. But, to her surprise, she heard the sound of a movie coming from deeper in the house.

After a quick stop in the kitchen for a glass of water and to set her purse down, Lynn followed the sound of the movie to the screening room and was shocked at the scene before her. Veronica was sitting in the lap of some boy that was not Conner. His hand was absently trailing up and down her bare arm; her bare, bruise-covered arm.

The boy must have heard something, because he turned to look at her. He didn't look surprised to see her; his pointer finger instantly came up to his lips as he shifted Veronica off his lap. Lynn sucked in a sharp breath as she realized she knew who it was, Logan Mars...son of the sheriff.  _Shit! What the hell went on this weekend?_

Lynn felt a wash of panic run through her as she watched Logan Mars walk to meet her. He stepped through the door and carefully shut it behind him.

"She's had a pretty rough day and just fell asleep a little bit ago," he said, as if that made things clear, which it most certainly did not.

Lynn felt the need for a drink start to creep in, but she fought the urge. "Why are you here? I—you shouldn't be here."

"I think we're a little past that point." The kid raised his eyebrows at her. "She explained most of it to me, and Conner filled in some of the rest."

There were only a few things that Lynn truly feared, and at the top of that list was someone like Logan finding out about Aaron's true nature. If Aaron were to discover that the son of the sheriff knew what he did to Veronica...Lynn shuddered at the thought. When Conner had found out, Lynn had almost been relieved. Conner was different; he understood who and what Aaron was, the power Aaron had. But someone like Logan Mars…

"I'm not going to tell my dad, if that's what you're wondering." His voice was edged with what Lynn was sure was contempt.

"You're not?" Lynn was shocked.

"Conner convinced me it has to be Veronica's decision. But, if I'm going to help you all continue with this charade, I'm going to need some assurances from you, too."


	4. On the fourth day of Christmas, Madison gave to me...four minutes in heaven while my clothes got a nasty swirly

**Chapter 4: On the fourth day of Christmas, Madison gave to me...four minutes in heaven while my clothes got a nasty swirly**

* * *

**Monday, December 13th**

Veronica woke up on Monday morning a little groggy and a lot confused.  _How did I get up to bed?_ she wondered. The answer presented itself as she rolled over and saw a note propped on her nightstand next to a glass of water.

> **_Veronica,_ **
> 
> **_You fell asleep watching the movie so I tucked you in. Your mom is home and we had a little chat. I'll fill you in when I pick you up for school. And be thinking about what you want to do about Madison._ **
> 
> **_XOXO - L_ **
> 
> **_PS you snore_ **

Veronica stifled a snort.  _I do not snore_. She rolled out of bed and tried not to think too much about what he meant about having a chat with her mom. There was no way that could have gone well. A soft knock came as Veronica slowly stretched out her tight muscles.

"Veronica, honey?" her mother's voice came through the door.

"Yeah, Mom, come in."

"Good, you're awake. Um...I'm...Well…" Lynn stumbled over her words, "Goodness, I'm tongue-tied this morning."

Veronica wondered briefly if her mom was having trouble speaking because she was drunk, but there was no scent of alcohol on her breath and her eyes looked clear and bright. Was it possible she was just at a loss for words?

"I spoke with Logan last night," her mother finally said.

"I gathered as much from his note. What did you talk about?" Veronica hedged, waiting to see just how much Logan admitted to her mom that he knew.

"You. And his conditions for not telling his father about our family's  _situation_."

Veronica sighed. Of course Logan would have just gotten straight to the point with no regard for what it might mean. He didn't understand the impact that his knowing about the inner-workings of the Echolls family could have on others, including himself. "Is that so?"

"Indeed. He is quite an interesting young man. I couldn't help but notice that you were asleep in his arms when I got home last night. Is there something that you and I need to speak about as well?" Lynn had a small smile on her face. It was something Veronica didn't get to see very often these days.

"Um...well, when he found out; he also kind of found out that Conner and I are just pretending to be together." Veronica looked down at her feet. Her mother had been supportive of the arrangement with Conner for many reasons, but had warned her that she would be missing out on a lot of things because of it, too.

"You like him?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Does Conner know?" Veronica nodded. "And? What does he think?" Lynn asked, taking a seat on the edge of Veronica's bed.

"He's encouraging it. He's the one who made me come clean about everything to Logan. Conner wants me to be happy." Veronica said sadly.

"Do you know what you're going to do?"

"Conner and I will continue to have a public relationship, like we've been doing. Logan said he's okay with that; at least for now." Veronica shook her head and took several deep breaths, "I think that's all the girl talk I've got in me today, Mom. I'm going to take a shower and get ready." Veronica turned and headed into the bathroom, not looking back at her mother. She'd had enough of trying to guess what other people thought of her relationships.

* * *

"So how'd confronting Madison go?" Logan asked Veronica as she tossed her bag down on the floor and sat in the chair next to him.

"About how you'd expect. She denied it at first, and then, as I was getting ready to leave, she called me a little bitch and told me to watch my back. So, you know, we're BFFs now," Veronica sighed.

Logan reached out and took her hand, gently massaging her fingers in an attempt to offer comfort. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to deal with this on top of everything else," he whispered. "Want me to assemble the gang and we can figure out a way to take her out?"

"I don't think that's necessary, at least not yet. Maybe I can convince Madison I'm not of interest to her. I mean, I quit...well, never joined...pep squad. To her knowledge, I'm not dipping my toes in her dating pool. Surely I should be boring to her by now. I'll just pretend she doesn't exist and maybe she'll do the same."

"If you're sure. I don't like her messing with you."

"I'll be fine. Let's get to work. We've got a special Christmas edition paper to finish, right? I could write about the long term benefits of giving the help a day off."

"And I can put together a piece about planning for the hustle and bustle of holiday travel for those of us without private jets," he declared and then leaned close to her and sighed into her ear. "I wish I could kiss you right now." He pulled back and saw a blush creep up her neck all the way to her cheeks.

"You know I think Ms. Dent said something about bringing in copies of the paper from previous years—for comparison—maybe we should go find those…in the supply closet." Veronica's eyes flashed mischievously, and Logan was pretty sure he'd never heard a better idea.

* * *

PE had never been Veronica's favorite part of the school day, but today she was actually grateful for the light run they had been assigned. She had been able to work out some of the residual anger and confusion from the weekend as well as stretch out her sore muscles.

Veronica waited for most of the girls to clear out of the locker room before taking her turn in the shower, not wanting to risk anyone seeing her bruises. She lingered under the hot water, enjoying the heat and daydreaming about the previous afternoon with Logan. Logan who would be meeting her with lunch in just a few minutes. She shut of the water and listened for voices, but the locker room was quiet.

As she hurried to the lockers, Veronica gasped at the sight of her locker hanging open and no sign of any of her clothes. She backtracked to the showers but found nothing. It wasn't until she walked past the row of toilet stalls that something in one of the stalls caught her eye. A pile of clothes. Her clothes, both gym uniform and what she'd been wearing earlier, jammed into the bowl, soaking wet and disgusting.

_Guess Madison wasn't kidding when she told me to watch my back._

Veronica walked back to her locker and pulled out her cell phone, but couldn't decide whom to call. She sat on the bench staring down at her phone for a long moment before she remembered that if anyone were to come in and see her, there was no way they'd miss the still livid bruises across her arms and even a few on her upper chest. Her towel hid the worst of her injuries, but not all of them.

She had no choice. She dialed Logan's number and waited.

" _Miss me already? I'll be in the quad in like two minutes_ ," he teased. The sound of his voice made her choke up. " _Veronica, are you okay? Talk to me, where are you?_ "

Veronica swallowed, "I need you. I…um…can you come to the girl's locker room. And will you ask Mac for her locker combo?"

" _Of course. I'll be there in just a minute. Um…should I send Mac instead?_ "

"No, you'll understand why when you get here."

As promised, just a few short minutes later Logan came into the locker room calling her name. The relief she felt upon hearing his voice was palpable. "I'm over here," she called out.

When Logan came around the corner, Veronica could hear his breath catch as he took in the sight of her, clad only in a towel, some of her bruises on display.

"You've already seen them, Mars. Just help me get into Mac's locker," she chastised.

"This look," Logan indicated his face, "is not about the bruises." His adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. " _This_  is because you are wearing nothing but a towel," he reached out and gently stroked his fingers from her jaw down her neck, across her collarbone, then down her arm until his fingers enfolded her hand. "Why aren't you wearing any clothes?" His voice was husky and deep.

Veronica's pulse rushed and she felt an intense heat spread through her. The desire to throw herself into his arms was almost unbearable. She stepped closer into him and, with her free hand, reached out to touch his face. She pulled him down to her and pressed her lips to his, hard and a little desperate. Veronica felt him hesitate before he opened to her. He tasted of mint and joy. She wanted to climb inside of him and curl up in his safe and happy life. Apparently her body thought that climbing up him would achieve this, because they came back to themselves with her towel slipping off, both breathing heavily.

"Okay, enough of that," Logan panted, "Clothes, talk, then maybe a quick trip to my backseat." He leered at her, as she adjusted the towel.

"Right, right," she sighed, wishing they could bypass the clothes and head straight for the backseat. "Talk... um...while I was showering, someone put all of my clothes in one of the toilets. I'm covered in…" She held out her arm, "You're the only person I trust, so…"

"I'm so sorry." Logan pulled her in for a gentle hug, "I have Mac's combo; let's get you in some clothes. I think if we hurry there's enough time for us to run you home to grab something else to wear." He rubbed soothing circles across her upper back then stepped away, seeking out Mac's locker.

Veronica took a seat on the bench and waited for Logan to return with Mac's gym clothes. Luckily Mac had an extra set, so Veronica wouldn't have to leave Mac without anything to wear when she had gym after lunch. Logan left her with the bundle of clothes and a promise to wait for her just outside.

Veronica changed quickly, glad that, between the light run and the hot shower, her muscles were feeling a lot better. Before leaving the locker room, she grabbed a trash bag and put her wet clothes in it.

Logan was waiting outside the door for her with a troubled look on his face, "Madison isn't in PE with you."

"No, she isn't. I'm assuming it must have been one of her little cronies," Veronica sighed, unhappily. "Can we grab some drive-thru? I'm starving."

Logan draped his arm around her shoulders, and kissed her temple. "Anything for you. Let's get out of here." Logan led her out of the school to his SUV and they headed out of the parking lot. He hadn't said anything else, but Veronica could tell he was deep in thought.

"Don't hurt yourself," Veronica teased, hoping to bring his attention back to her.

"It's not me I'm worried about being hurt." Logan took a deep breath and then turned to look at her while they waited at a red light. "I think we should talk to Lilly."

"Lilly Kane? I talk to her all the time...well, okay, not since I told her I wasn't going to join pep squad. But what are you suggesting I should talk to Lilly about?"

"She and Madison have been good friends for a long time. If anyone can tell us what's going on with Madison, I think it might be Lilly. Or better yet, Lilly might be able to get her to stop." Logan made a face that set off alarms in Veronica's head. It was not a look that inspired confidence.

"What? I keep getting the feeling there's more to you and Lilly." He started to open his mouth, but she kept talking. "It's okay. I don't expect you to divulge everything to me after only two days. I just...is there an issue with asking Lilly for help?"

"Um...so, we're doing the whole 'secret' relationship thing." Veronica nodded. "I see this going one of two ways. First, Lilly totally sees through it and tells everyone. Or, second, Lilly totally sees through it, pretends she doesn't, and tortures us by insisting I do something neither of us is going to like."

"Okay, then we won't go to Lilly. I've had enough of doing things I don't like. Maybe Mac and Wallace will have some ideas?" Veronica wondered as they pulled into In-N-Out. "Cheeseburger, animal style, and a grilled cheese with grilled onions," she told Logan.

"Fries with that, princess?" he smirked at her.

"I can't believe you'd even ask that! Obviously I want fries. I'll probably eat most of yours, too. I'm a growing girl here."

Logan chuckled but placed the order without further comment. She didn't miss that he got an extra order of fries. They ate during the drive to the Echolls estate where Veronica changed quickly so they'd make it back before fifth period started.

Logan parked near the back of the NHS lot and turned in his seat. "So um...talk completed, clothes replaced, we...ah...we have a little time before class starts. I was wondering how you felt about my third idea." He smiled shyly at her.

"Why, Logan Mars, are you asking if I want to check out your backseat?" she asked, affecting her southern drawl.

"Um...only if you want to."

"I want to." Veronica winked at him before carefully climbing into the backseat, "You going to join me?" She asked, her voice more breathy than she'd intended.

In a flash, Logan was in the back seat and Veronica found herself straddling his lap. Logan's lips burned a hot trail from her mouth to her jaw and down her neck. "Mmm," he moaned against her neck as she shifted in his lap, trying to offer more of her neck.

She pulled him back up to kiss her and let herself get completely lost in his taste and the feel of his strong body holding her. It was everything she never knew she was missing. Over a year of pretending to be with Conner had not prepared her for the onslaught of feelings and hormones that were now coursing through her.

An interminable amount of time later, Logan pulled back. "Class is going to start soon," he panted, "and if we don't stop, clothes are going to start coming off. Which would be a shame since we just got these for you." He tugged at the bunched up hem of her skirt, then ran his hands up and down her thighs.

"I'm pretty sure we're already late; maybe we should stay." Veronica moved to kiss him again, when Logan pulled out a pad of slips.

"Tardy excuse slips. Date-stamped. Untraceable. I know people." He smiled, kissing her cheek.

"You know Wallace," she couldn't help but laugh.

Logan opened the door a crack, "It's clear." He lifted her off his lap and placed her outside, "Come on let's get you to Biology." He hopped out next to her, his arm still wound tightly around her waist.

Veronica turned so that she was walking backward, her body close to Logan's. She stopped and pulled him down to her again, kissing him deeply until he pulled away.

"Remember, DNA is transcribed into mRNA," he pecked her lips, "and mRNA is translated into protein." He placed a few more chaste kisses on her lips.

"I'd learn more biology out here in the parking lot with you," she complained.

"Save it for Health Class, Echolls. It's time to get with the book learning; we'll save the practical applications for later." He winked then let her go as they entered the building. He hesitated for a moment, and then stepped back into her personal space. "Secrets are definitely hot, Echolls."

Veronica stood watching him walk away.  _Hot indeed._

* * *

"Look, Mandy, I'm not going to give up," Logan tried to assure her. "But we're kind of stuck. Have you gotten any response at all from the posters?"

It pained Logan to see how sad Mandy was; he knew how much she loved Chester. If it were Backup that was missing, Logan would be devastated, too. He looked down at his shoes and kicked a small pebble. There had to be something more that he could do.

Logan looked up at the sounds of a cell phone ring tone. Mandy pulled out her cell and answered, "Hello?" Logan watched as her face shifted from sad to excited, "Yes I did." She nodded excitedly and flashed Logan a brilliant smile. "Oh, you have?"

Logan was about to return her smile when, before his eyes, Mandy folded in on herself, her eyes filling with tears.

"What happened?" Logan asked, concern lacing his words.

"Nothing. Someone was just playing a stupid trick." She looked devastated.

Veronica approached just as tears started to stream down Mandy's cheeks. "What's going on?" she asked, placing a hand on Mandy's arm. "Are you okay?"

"I'm not sure—" Logan started to say, but his attention was caught by loud laughs and the sound of Mandy's name. He looked over and saw Lenny Sofer, an 09er Logan knew. Previous experience had taught him that Lenny had a cruel streak.

Mandy saw Lenny just as Logan did; she sniffled and accepted a tissue from Veronica, "I had a crush on him last year. I put his picture in my locker. I never told him, but somebody did. He's gone out of his way to be mean to me ever since."

"What is this, middle school?" Veronica asked harshly, wrapping an arm around Mandy. If Logan wasn't already head-over-heels for this girl, that would have done it. She didn't even know Mandy and she was offering her comfort. And, after the day Veronica'd had, no one would have blamed her for being standoffish.

Logan glared at Lenny, and made a decision. He strode toward the group of boys, stretching up to his full six foot height, "You prank-call Mandy?"

"What if I did, Mars? You gonna tell your daddy?" Lenny sneered at Logan, trying to puff himself up. But not only was he shorter, he was doughy. Logan knew he could kick his ass if it came down to it.

"No, no, I just wanted to congratulate you." Logan grinned, all teeth and testosterone, then held out his hand, "You know, shake your hand." He gripped Lenny's clammy hand, and shook it vigorously. "Congratulations! You've been named the world's biggest cockroach. This award is given in recognition of your unparalleled lack of decency and humanity. Bravo! You're gonna die friendless and alone."

Logan barely registered the 'ooos' and 'ouch' comments but could feel the eyes of everyone in the hall on him. He turned to head back to Veronica and Mandy, done with the group of entitled assholes.

"You didn't have to do that," Mandy said shyly, looking up at Logan through thick eyelashes. Her cheeks were tear stained and pink.

Logan looked to Veronica who was grinning like an idiot and looking back and forth between Logan and Mandy. Logan sighed, "Yes I did, Mandy. Those guys are jerks. 'Believe in yourself and you can achieve greatness in your life'."

"Judy Blume said that," Mandy beamed up at him adoringly.

"Yeah, I know," Logan said as he pushed his fingers through his hair, a nervous gesture he tried to minimize. It was hard to not be nervous when the girl of his dreams was standing by while another girl, a girl he had no interest in, was mooning over him. He was pretty sure Mandy's crush on Lenny had transferred over to him. "Mandy, don't let that get you down. We're going to figure this out. I have some stuff to take care of, but I'll be in touch." Logan stepped closer to Veronica, hoping to subtly convey that he wasn't returning Mandy's interest.

Mandy nodded and walked away, glancing back with a broad smile on her face every few paces.

"Umph," Logan exhaled as Veronica's elbow made contact with his side.

"She has a crush on you." Veronica smiled menacingly up at him.

Logan smirked, reached out and tapped her nose playfully, "Jealous?"

"No, jealous would involve piano wire. I thought that was adorable. You know, you could have a normal relationship with a girl like her..." Veronica said, her voice dropping off as she finished.

"Mandy? Well yeah, maybe I could. And, while she's nice and all, I've got my eye on this petite blonde that smells of promises."

"Hey, that's my perfume." Veronica turned to face him again, her face practically glowing in the afternoon light as it streamed through the doors behind them.

"Yes it is." He stepped in closer to her and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I want to—"

"Mars!"

_I'm going to kill Weevil_! "Weevs, nice to see you. How have you managed not to get suspended or expelled yet this week?" Logan snarked.

"Eh...the week is young." Weevil twisted his earring, "My grandma mentioned seeing you this weekend...and I hear you're after some dognappers." Weevil nodded in the direction that Mandy had walked moments earlier, and then he noticed Veronica and looked her up and down. "Abuelita said you were pretty, but  _damn_  girl." He leered at her.

"Um...thanks, I guess," Veronica replied, a little confused.

"You were saying…" Logan redirected Weevil's attention, but he just stared at him blankly, "...about the dognappings?"

"Oh, right. Well, see, here's how it is. My uncle, he does a little moonlighting as a janitor for the county. He  _may_  have been doing some work down at Animal Control, and he  _may_  have overheard one of those  _perreras_ , talking about selling a dog."

" _Perreras_?" Logan asked, confused.

"Yeah, you know  _el hombre de los perros_ , a dog man, a dogcatcher or whatever," Weevil elaborated.

Logan smacked his forehead, "Of course! Any chance a busty lady and a cowboy mean anything to you?" Logan asked.

"Um...a night at the rodeo? Got me," Weevil shrugged. "Catch you later, Mars. And hope to see you soon, Veronica." Weevil winked at her, and it took every ounce of Logan's self control to not smack Weevil upside the head.

Veronica just giggled, "Who's jealous now?" she teased, bopping him on the nose and smiling sweetly. "Who was that?" Veronica asked.

"That was your housekeeper...um maid's...grandson, Eli "Weevil" Navarro. You really need to work on that whole knowing-your-help thing," Logan jested.

"But he...and she's...well, you know, she's so…" Veronica seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Yeah, Weevil runs a biker gang. Mostly penny ante stuff, though occasionally they get into the big leagues," Logan explained.

"Wow, I'm not really sure I know how to respond to that. I'll say this much, we should be sure my parents don't find that out. My dad would probably not take kindly to employing the relative of a gang member, and I really like Mrs. Navarro."

"What a contradiction. The great Aaron Echolls would have a problem with that, but has no problem—" Veronica's small hand sealed over his mouth.

"Not here," she said sternly. Logan nodded in acquiescence.

"You know what? I think I have something a lot more fun that we could talk about...like you in that towel. Could I talk you into accompanying me to my, currently very parent-free, house?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh, you definitely could. Especially because I already told Wallace and Mac that we would all be meeting there later." She winked and started walking toward the parking lot, her hips swinging seductively.

"Tease!" Logan smiled to himself, before chasing after her.  _My tease_.

* * *

"Well, now we have a pretty good idea it was Madison who set you up, though I still have no idea how she could pull that off…" Logan mused.

"She has a birthday coming up; do we want to screw with her? Ruin her 'special' day?" Mac suggested.

"How do you know she has a birthday coming up?" Wallace asked. "You two aren't friends."

"Oh, her birthday is the day after mine…in elementary school we'd get to have dessert two days in a row. My mom always made my cupcakes herself, but Madison had those fancy ones from a bakery. It sticks out because people would always say they liked my mom's more." Mac smiled at the memory.

"I think the better question is what are we doing that's fun for  _your_  birthday, Mac?" Veronica smiled at her new friend. Mac just shrugged in response. "I don't like Madison, but I don't think ruining her birthday is really my style." Veronica laughed. "Can we see if there is any dirt we could use to get her in trouble on a day that is not her birthday? Or maybe just really embarrass her like she tried to do to me?"

"I might have an idea," Mac said cryptically. "I'll email Tony and see what I can find out. I might be able to get some information that could help us find something on Madison."

After she'd finished collecting the full names and birthdays for Madison and her parents for the background check, Mac spun her chair around just in time to see Veronica jump. She and Logan broke eye contact and both blushed as they tried to look nonchalant.

"So, when's  _your_  birthday, Mars?" Veronica asked, a love-sick smile on her face.

Mac could tell that Veronica was trying to sound casual.  _It's like they think I was born yesterday,_  she stifled a giggle and shook her head. Mac switched her gaze over to Wallace and the two of them shared a knowing glance before Wallace jumped in.

"Well,  _my_ birthday is in April. In case you were going to ask that next," he said playfully.

"Yes, Wallace, I'm  _sure_  you're birthday is on the forefront of Veronica's mind right now," Mac quipped.

* * *

**Tuesday, December 14th**

Mac made a mad dash for the hallway right after the bell rang for lunch. She saw Veronica just a few feet away.

"Hey, Veronica, wait up," she called out to her new friend, who turned around and smiled at her. Mac couldn't help but smile back. There was just something about Veronica Echolls that was infectious.

"Hey, Mac. Logan said he was ordering lunch—" Veronica began, but Mac cut her off.

"Well I was hoping you wouldn't mind eating with me in the library. I want to use the computers there to check up on our little Madison project." Mac whispered the last part covertly while looking over her shoulder to make sure that no 09ers had overheard.

"I'd  _love_  to. I'm dying to get that girl where it will hurt. What have you got?" Veronica rubbed her hands together greedily.

"I got the reports from the background check that I did on her and her parents, but I didn't get a chance to check it during computer lab. We can go now if you want to grab lunch from Logan and bring it with us into the library. He's busy working on something for Mandy's case anyway, so I think he can bear to be parted from you for a few minutes." Mac rolled her eyes dramatically. Watching Veronica and Logan attempt to appear to  _not_  be dating was becoming sickening. They were happy though, and that was all that mattered. She'd just have to have a little faith in Veronica and hope that Logan wouldn't end up with a broken heart.

"Well, Mandy's case or not, I'd like to spend some time with you. I don't mind if he protests. I'll be right back with some food for us both." Veronica gave Mac one last smile and took off for the quad as Mac turned into the library. She was happy to see that her favorite computer was available. It was in the corner and situated so that no one could read over your shoulder without being noticed.

Mac sat down at the terminal and quickly signed in to the email account she'd set up for when they needed to use county resources without the sheriff's permission. It looked like it could belong to the Balboa County Sheriff's Office if you didn't know better or look too closely. And, luckily for her, no one  _did_  know any better or look too closely in Neptune.

_Okay, Sinclair Family, show me your secrets._ Mac couldn't hold back the maniacal smile that spread across her face as she saw the two emails she'd been waiting for. She opted to start with the one that contained Madison's report. A moment later her face fell. Madison was squeaky clean, legally. A few parking tickets, but nothing important. Farther down, something caught her attention. It appeared that someone had put some money in Madison's name several years ago and that she was wealthy in her own right.

Veronica approached the table and Mac didn't even try to hide the scowl that she knew was on her face. Veronica smiled as she approached the table, but Mac saw her smile falter at Mac's expression. "Bad news?" she asked.

"You could say that. Madison is rich," Mac said with a sigh. "Of all the people in the world to be rich, I can honestly say that Madison is the person who least deserves it."

"Didn't we already know she's rich? I mean 09er and all?" Veronica questioned.

"No I mean  _she's_  rich. One million dollars was deposited into an account in her name when she was little and it has clearly been invested wisely. The interest she makes every month alone is more than is in my bank account," Mac acknowledged with a huff.

"Well that's interesting, I guess. Not something that will help us in our quest for vengeance, though. What about her parents?" Veronica patted Mac on the back and nodded encouragingly. "We were most likely to hit pay dirt with them, anyway."

Mac opened Madison's parents' reports and cycled through the Sinclair's basic information before her eyes landed on the financial section. Charles and Ellen Sinclair had a lot of money, to be sure, but one number in particular stood out. Exactly one million dollars had been deposited into their account just days before Madison's account had received that same amount of money.  _External Income: 05-12-1992 – Neptune Memorial Hospital — $1 million awarded in lawsuit?_ "Curious," Mac whispered.

"What's curious?" Veronica's words startled Mac. She had been so engrossed in the data that she had forgotten about the blonde seated beside her.

"It appears that the money in Madison's account was transferred from her parents' just a few days after they received some sort of settlement. Why would they do that? Something this big should have hit the news, but I was little then; I have no idea what was happening in Neptune in the early nineties. I can't imagine why—" Mac began to frantically search various websites, searching for clues. "Crap!"

"What? What am I missing, Mac?" Veronica was clearly lost.

Mac was silent for a moment. "The Neptune Register of course hasn't digitized their archive. I can't access news stories this old. What would you say to a little trip down to the Neptune Public Library?"

"Sure thing. I caught a ride with Logan. After school we can—"

"No, Wallace's first pre-season scrimmage is today. We won't have time after school. We should go right now. I need to use their microfiche; it's the only way to read news stories this old."

"But we have two more classes today. I can't…" Mac turned to her friend and watched Veronica's mind turning. "You know what? Screw it. I'll go." Veronica smiled widely at her friend. "I have the perfect excuse. We don't need to ditch; let's do this the right way."

Mac needed no further encouragement. She shot a text off to Logan telling him that she was stealing Veronica and they were off to sign out of class. Mac felt a little exhilarated. She'd never cut class before. Other kids did it all the time, but she'd always been too much of a rule follower. Somehow, with Veronica by her side, she had a newfound confidence.  _That's right, Mackenzie_ , she told herself,  _live a little!_  Her bravado vanished the second they crossed the threshold into the school's main office.

"Look sick," Veronica whispered to Mac as she led them straight up to Mrs. Finch.

_Well, that won't be so hard. I'm so nervous I think I'm going to be sick right here and now._  Mac tried to look calm. She'd never been a good liar. It was one of the things Logan always said he liked best about her.

"Mrs. Finch! Do you remember me? Veronica Echolls? You helped me out last week with my schedule. Thanks so much, by the way, I love my new classes and teachers."

Mac watched in fascination as Mrs. Finch's customary scowl turned into something that almost resembled a stiff smile. "Ah, yes, Miss Echolls. I'm glad everything worked out. What can I do for you today?"

_Wow,_ Mac stood watching the scene before her, mesmerized.  _Veronica can work magic._

"Well, I hope you can let me drive my new friend Cindy Mackenzie home. You see, she's feeling a little under the weather." Veronica paused to look sympathetically at Mac before turning her gaze back to Mrs. Finch. "Between you and me, I'm a little worried it was the cafeteria's mystery meat," Veronica whispered to Mrs. Finch. "But don't tell the lunchroom staff. I wouldn't want them to feel bad."

Mac had to hand it to Veronica. She almost thought she'd eaten cafeteria food herself after the way Veronica had related the tale. When Mrs. Finch turned to give her a once over, Mac ducked her head and rubbed her stomach.

"Well, I'm supposed to send you ladies to the nurse, but she's at lunch herself. And you aren't the type to get into mischief. You're excused from classes for the rest of the day. I hope you feel better soon, Miss Mackenzie," Mrs. Finch said insincerely to Mac and then smiled down at Veronica.

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Finch. I knew you would understand." Veronica then turned and put her arm around Mac and helped her out of the office.

They made it to the edge of the parking lot before both girls dissolved into laughter. "Nice acting  _Cindy_ ," Veronica laughed. "You were great. I swear you actually turned green. For a minute there I thought you were actually going to toss your cookies."

Mac laughed along, too. "Well I almost did. I just knew she was going to see right through us at any moment. You, my friend, are a marvel," Mac said as she unlocked the doors to her green bug and gestured for Veronica to get into the passenger seat.

It only took them a few minutes to get across town. Mac had practically grown up at the Neptune Public Library and knew exactly where she was going. Upon entering the building, she walked straight through the main area to a librarian sitting at a desk in the back of the building.

"Hi there. We're doing a school project and are hoping to use your microfiche. We're looking to comb through your archives of The Neptune Register from May of 1992," Mac said in one big breath.

The librarian nodded and pointed them in the right direction. Mac got the machine going and it was all ready to go when the woman came back with the microfilm for the timeframe in question.

"Wow, Mac, you sure know how to work the librarian." Veronica sounded impressed.

"Well, it's not as helpful on a day-to-day basis as being able to grease the school registrar, but it works for me most of the time," Mac tried to sound humble. "I guess we both know our target audience." Mac turned back to the microfiche machine. "This could take a while if you want to go grab yourself a magazine or something," she said to Veronica as she began to scroll through the film. "It's harder when we don't know what we're looking for."

Veronica and Mac took turns searching the newspaper articles, waiting for something to pop out. Veronica had just left the room to fill her water bottle when Mac backed up a few slides to a story she had almost skipped.

> **Hospital Takes Hit on Baby-Swap Case. Judge Orders Hospital to Pay $1 Million in Damages to Each Family.**
> 
> "After five years of bitter legal battle ensnaring the lives of two Neptune families…"

Mac's whole body began to vibrate as she skimmed the rest of the article.

> "...both families have agreed to keep their non-biological children..." "...too much upheaval..." "…to retain custody…" "…the children's privacy..."

Mac couldn't read anymore. She stood up abruptly and turned, only to collide directly into Veronica.

"Whoa there, partner. If you need a break, just tell me next time. You don't have to—" Veronica stopped when she met Mac's eyes. "Mac? What's wrong? What did you find?"

Mac could only gesture to the machine. There were no words.  _It couldn't be true...it_ can't _be...can it?_  She forced her breathing to regulate.

Veronica plopped into the chair in front of the machine and Mac paced behind Veronica as she read.

"Hold the phone! I was expecting something like 'Woman Accidentally Receives Pig Heart', but this is serious. I'm not going to use this against Madison. It's too cruel; we aren't even sure she's the one who set me up."

Mac nodded in agreement and took a several long, slow gulps from Veronica's water bottle. Then she turned and began to pack up her belongings.  _I have to get out of here._  "Hey, Veronica...print that out, okay?"

"You're not going to expose her, are you?" Veronica sounded incredulous.

"No, nothing like that. I just don't want to have to go searching for it again," Mac watched as her friend set the article to save before she headed out to the door. "We're done here. I'll meet you at the front door in a few minutes, okay?" She didn't wait for a reply before she fled the room.

Mac didn't stop walking until she'd reached the restroom near the front entrance. She ducked into the first stall and promptly emptied the contents of her stomach. She slid down to the wall until she was sitting with her head leaned against the cool stall wall.  _Calm down, Mac. There are many other possibilities here. More than two babies were probably born that week at Neptune Memorial. It doesn't necessarily mean that...that you were born...that you are...Madison Sinclair. I mean, that would mean that your parents had been awarded one million dollars, too_. Mac shook her head. That made it impossible. Clearly her parents...the people who had raised her...weren't rolling in dough. If the Mackenzies had received one million dollars she would know about it,  _right?_

_There is no use worrying over something that can be proven to be true or false,_  Mac reasoned. _Logan will get to the bottom of this...if I tell him. How can I tell him? How can I tell anyone?_ After several moments of vacillating between being sure she was Cindy Mackenzie and being certain that she was Madison Sinclair, Mac forced herself to stand up and exit the bathroom stall. She splashed some water on her face and took another deep breath before she exited the bathroom to find Veronica waiting for her.

"You okay?" Veronica asked when Mac approached her. "I have your printout."

Mac stuffed the paper into her bag as quickly as possible. "Yeah, totally. I'm perfect. Just nervous...I don't think I see habitual truancy in my future." Mac avoided meeting Veronica's eyes as they turned and walked out to the parking lot together.

_You need to think, Mac. There has to be a way you can avoid telling Logan altogether._ An idea suddenly hit Mac like a ton of bricks. "Hey, Veronica, your acting skills are fabulous. Do you remember Inga down at the sheriff's station?"

"The woman at the front desk? Tall...brunette...accent?"

"Yes, that's her. Do you think you could make yourself sound like her?" Mac did her best to sound casual.

"But, of course. I am gud wiss zee voices," Veronica answered.

"Um...that came out more like Dracula than Inga," Mac frowned.

"I was just kidding, Mac." Veronica laughed and then adopted Inga's German accent. "You mean talk like this?" Veronica tried again.

"Yes, just like that. Perfect!" Mac couldn't contain her joy. "I'm going to call Tony; he's the Inga of San Juan Capistrano PD. He's who Balboa County calls when their systems go down or the sheriff can't access them for some reason. You get on the phone with him and order a background check for two people."

"Mac, are you sure this is okay? Which two people?" Veronica looked hesitant.

"Yeah, it's cool. Logan and I do it all the time when we need a background check," Mac insisted. "It'll be faster if we call rather than email Tony."

"Well should we call Logan, then?" Veronica pressed.

"No, no. He's busy," Mac knew she needed to get Veronica to act before she could think too much about it. "I'll write it down so you can tell him and still sound legit. I'll also write down the email that Logan and I set up to get them returned to us, okay?" Mac took out a notebook and jotted down a few notes for Veronica.

> Samuel Mackenzie (DOB 11-21-1955) and  
>  Natalie Mackenzie, née Franklin (DOB: 7-11-1958)  
>  9715 Colony Place, Neptune, CA 90902
> 
> mars@bcsd.gov

Veronica looked uncertain, but she made the call. It took a few minutes, but Mac was impressed. Veronica was fantastic and it went off without a hitch.

"Academy Award winning work, there, Echolls," she tried to make it sound as if she wasn't about to burst out of her skin. "Thanks!"

"It's no problem. I'm happy to help. He said that we should have it quickly, today most likely. But are you sure you're all right? Did we just do a background check on your parents?" Veronica stopped Mac by putting a hand on her arm before she could turn her car on.

"Absolutely, I'm fine." Mac lied and then changed the subject.  _There's no way I'll be able to play nice and pretend to enjoy the game tonight while I'm waiting for these reports._ "You know what, though? I don't think I'm going to be able to make Wallace's game after all. Why don't I just drop you off back on campus. You can meet up with Logan and he can give you a ride home," Mac prayed that Veronica didn't push back.

"You're missing the game? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, when I was in the bathroom my mom called and reminded me that I promised to meet my grandpa for BINGO tonight. I must have gotten my days confused. I'll catch up with you guys tomorrow." Mac started up the car and made her way back to Neptune High.

* * *

Logan closed the door of his SUV and made his way up to the poorly maintained house that belonged to Weevil's uncle, Angel. He had to reach through the bars on the door to knock. When no one answered he knocked again, this time harder. His schedule was jam-packed, and he needed to get back to campus before Wallace's game.

Finally, the door opened and a middle-aged hispanic man squinted at the light streaming in from the door. "You lost?" he asked, his words thickly accented.

"No, I don't think so. Are you Weevil, I mean Eli's, uncle? Angel?" Logan asked.  _Geez I called the guy earlier._  "I'm Logan. We spoke on the phone."

"Oh, sí, the boy looking for the dog. Sorry, I work nights. I was sleeping." Angel warmed instantly. He opened the security door and stepped out onto the porch to speak to Logan.

"No problem. Sorry to...um...bother you. So, Eli said that you might have some information about my friend's dog, Chester." Logan could hear the skepticism in his own voice.

"What does he look like?"

"He's mostly white with some black on his head. He's a Jack Russell Terrier."

"I don't remember seeing him specifically. There are so many dogs there, man. But the guy that works back there, the  _perrera_ , Hans, he goes to school with Eli. He's shady."

_He goes to Neptune High?_   "Shady, how?"

"He and his boss, JW, have some dogs in the back room that they like to keep separate and no one knows why. I don't think they are sick like he says. We aren't even allowed to clean back there." Angel shook his head.

_It's not entirely out of the realm of possibility to have dogs separated, but when you add it all together it does sound like the 'dogman' is not on the up-and-up._  "So you overheard this guy, Hans, talking about selling a dog?" Logan promoted.

"Sí. It was a big dog. The kind they use to guard...a shepherd, I think. They said they had a potential buyer. They said they were going to sell him on miércoles."

"Miércoles as in tomorrow?" Logan instantly recalled a lost dog flyer he'd seen for a missing shepherd at the beach.  _That could be Chappie._

"Sí, mañana," Angel nodded.

"I know this sounds crazy, but does a busty lady or a cowboy mean anything to you? It's almost the only lead I had up till now."

Angel thought for a moment and then his eyes lit up. "Sí, sí. The  _perrera_...Hans. His truck has a sticker of a radio station or something. I think it has a cowboy."

Logan stared open-mouthed at Angel for a moment.  _Could Weevil Navarro have really helped me bust Mandy's case wide open?_

"Sorry I can't help more," Angel sounded sincere. He had no clue that he may have just given Logan enough information to connect the rest of the dots.

"No, this was...great. Better than great, actually." Logan assured him. "Thanks so much. And sorry for waking you up."

Angel nodded and turned back into his house. Logan had to stop himself from skipping down the walkway to his Xterra.  _Mandy just might get Chester back, after all!_

* * *

Veronica reluctantly climbed out of Mac's car, "Are you sure everything's okay?"

"Definitely. Just got family stuff to do. You know how it is," Mac replied.

"I really don't." Veronica shook her head, "Um...well, call me later? Everyone keeps talking about some party. I guess Shelly and Madison are throwing it; maybe we can do some recon?"

"Oh. Sure. That could be...yeah. I'll call you later. Bye, Veronica."

Veronica pushed the door shut and stepped away from the curb.  _That was weird._  She'd just pulled out her cell phone to call Logan when she felt arms wrap around her waist.

"You're a little early," Logan's voice whispered in her ear. "I've hardly seen you today. The game doesn't start for like thirty minutes…"

"Is that so? Did you have something in mind to kill all that time?" Veronica whispered back, scanning the surrounding area to ensure that they were alone.

"If you can believe it, I've had something in mind since this morning when I picked you up." He nipped her ear, stepped to her side and took her hand. "Come on. I'm betting you haven't seen one of the best features of this lovely campus."

"And what is that?" Veronica asked, a little breathless.

"We have a little greenhouse behind the science wing." He grinned.

"Greenhouses smell bad."

"I'm sure I can keep you thoroughly distracted." Logan pulled on her hand, and Veronica had to break into a jog to keep up.

"Is that a promise?" Veronica asked as they reached the edge of the building.

Before she had a chance to question or tease Logan further, he had her pressed up against the side of the science wing out of sight of the parking lot and any other area unless someone walked right up to them.

"It is. And there's something you should know about me," he slid his hands up her jean clad thighs and lifted her off the ground, "I…" forehead kiss, "always…" nose kiss, "keep my…" his full lips pressed a chaste kiss to her lips, "promises."

Veronica was so caught up in the sensations Logan was awakening that she didn't realize she'd wrapped her legs around Logan's waist until she felt him press his hips against hers when he finished speaking. His lips moved to her jaw and then down her neck, dissipating any rational hesitation Veronica had about making out in such a public place.

The sound of a throat clearing brought Veronica back to her senses. "Are you two stupid?" Wallace's familiar voice called.

Logan groaned into Veronica's neck and released her to slide down his body, which did little to convince Veronica that stopping was worthwhile. She pushed up on tiptoes and kissed Logan again.

"Seriously! There is going to be some kind of alumni tour thing in like five minutes. Knock it off!" Wallace hissed, now much closer. "Do you want pictures in the tabloids?"

Logan pressed his forehead against Veronica's. She couldn't help but sigh contentedly until she realized the implication of Wallace's words, "Hold on. Why aren't you acting surprised about this?" she asked, then turned on Logan, "Did you tell him? What about Mac?"

"I didn't tell anyone." Logan looked directly into her eyes as he spoke.

"Then…"

"As if you two aren't disgustingly obvious. And I don't know what the deal is with your boyfriend, V, but I'm expecting an explanation soon. If you are jerking my boy around—"

"I'm not, I promise." Veronica said, hoping that Wallace believed her.

Wallace nodded and grabbed Logan's arm, "Now, lover-boy, you two need to get inside and find good seats to cheer yours truly on." Wallace pointed at his chest. "You're just lucky it was me who saw you run off together. What if it had been Madison or Lilly, both of whom are here for pep squad?" Wallace grumbled.

Veronica tried to summon being upset, but it just wouldn't come. She was too happy. Being with Logan, even secretly, made her happier than she'd ever been. Of course, with her track record, that surely meant her whole world was about to fall apart again. She couldn't think about that now though; she was determined to enjoy this as much as possible while it lasted.

Veronica reached out for Logan's hand and squeezed it. He kissed her temple quickly before dropping her hand and putting Wallace between them. "When will Mac be back?" Logan asked.

"Oh, she said she had a family thing and couldn't come," Veronica answered, still a little confused by the last-minute change on Mac's part.

"That's weird, Mac doesn't usually miss my games." Wallace gave Logan a look that Veronica didn't recognize. "Well, kids, I've got to go finish warming up. You behave. I mean it."

"Come on, I'll introduce you to the Fennel cheering section." Logan smiled, but there was a bit of hesitation in his eyes.

"If you don't think it's a good idea, I can go or sit somewhere else," Veronica said. She was a little disappointed, but she didn't want to embarrass Logan. Despite the fact that she loved being with him all the time, she could understand why he might not feel the same way.

"What?" Logan's expression tightened, "Why would you sit somewhere else?"

"I thought...maybe you wouldn't want to deal with the attention and stuff."

Logan leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I don't care about any of that. Just you." He stood up straight and pointed to an attractive woman and younger boy who both resembled Wallace, "Now let's get you introduced to Wallace's family."

The first half of the game sped by. Meeting Wallace's mom and little brother was less awkward than Veronica had expected. Alicia was friendly and didn't pry into her family life, and Darrell was a cute kid, though he was very interested to hear about Conner. Spending time with a normal family doing a normal activity had been surprisingly easy. What proved to much more difficult was not touching Logan. She'd accidently reached for his hand more than once, and what she needed right now was some fresh air. Being in such close proximity while staying so on-guard was exhausting.

"I'm going to go grab a drink. Anyone else want something?" she asked.

"Quik!" Darrell called excitedly. Veronica turned to Logan, confused.

"Chocolate, banana or strawberry, little man?" Logan asked, winking.

"Strawberry!"

"You got it. Do you want anything, Mrs. Fennel?" Logan asked, standing up. So much for getting a little break.

"Diet Coke would be great," she replied, pulling cash out of her purse and handing it to Logan.

Veronica lead the way to the aisle and thrilled at the feel of Logan's hand on the small of her back. It was an innocent gesture, but with how keyed up she was, it felt more like an electric shock.

"I feel it, too," Logan whispered as he directed her away from the concession stand and out into the hall.

Veronica realized that Logan was directing her toward the journalism room just in time for them to be blocked by none other than Lilly Kane.

"Sneaking off to an empty classroom is so freshman year. Don't tell me you're leaving so soon. Wallace is playing so well." Lilly's eyes narrowed in a way that made Veronica sure that Lilly knew exactly what she'd interrupted.

"Oh, no. Just showing Veronica how different things look when school is out," Logan answered lamely, Veronica fought the urge to smack him upside the head.

"You were right, it's really strange seeing everything so empty." Veronica played along with his terrible ruse.

"Huh, yeah I guess it's pretty different," Lilly agreed, looking around the hall. "Didn't you just love the pep squad routine! We really missed you out there. The offer's still open if you change your mind."

"You guys were great. And trust me you didn't miss a thing. I'm so clumsy. You remember what happened last time." Veronica tried to sound cheerful.

"You really were terrible. Taking down half the pyramid usually takes someone at least a week, but you managed it your first day." Madison's nasally voice approached from behind.

"You know what else was terrible, Madison?" Veronica asked and then paused for effect. Madison shook her head but smiled menacingly. "Apparently my outfit on Monday. I guess you thought it was so terrible that you had some of your friends in my PE class dispose of it for me. That outfit really wasn't very inspired, so thanks for helping me out with that. I was much more comfortable after I changed. Didn't you think so, Logan?"

"Um...yeah. Much." He stumbled over his words, clearly a bit startled by the cat fight.

Curiosity burned in Lilly's eyes, "Is that so?" she asked. It was the first time Veronica had heard Lilly ask an actual question. "We really need to get back in there, but, Veronica, you're really going to have to tell me more about that...later. In fact, I have the perfect opportunity for us to spend a little more time together on Thursday. We're having a party at Madison's, and it's going to be a night you won't want to miss! I'll text you the rest of the info. You should bring Conner." Lilly's eyes were wide at the prospect.

"Oh, um...thanks. Conner's filming. But maybe I'll come; Logan are you going?" Veronica asked, feeling uncertain in the conversation suddenly.

"You have to come, Logan! We've hardly spent any time together lately." Lilly was practically bouncing.  _Maybe it is time for me to ask Logan about his relationship with Lilly_ , Veronica thought.

"Lilly, I'm sure Veronica is too good for a little party like ours…" Madison tried to bring the attention back to herself.

Lilly completely ignored her. "We need to make another trip to LA. It was so fun meeting your dad; I'd love to see him again," Lilly gushed to Madison's obvious dismay.

Veronica felt Logan's hand on the small of her back again, "Sorry to interrupt ladies, but we really need to get back to our seats. It was  _fun_  seeing you both." He pushed Veronica gently but firmly back toward the gym.

"Don't forget—Madison's house on Thursday!" Lilly called from behind them.

"Thank you," Veronica whispered once there were a bit farther away.

"Don't thank  _me_ ; I wanted out of there as much as you did. And they killed not only the little bit of free time we had but also the mood. Lilly Kane really knows how to wreck a good time."

* * *

After the encounter with Lilly and Madison, Logan had a hard time paying attention to the game. He'd really wanted a little alone time with Veronica, but it looked like it would have to wait until after the game. And, of course, tonight was one of the rare nights when his dad had promised to be home for dinner, so spending any significant amount of time with Veronica wasn't likely to happen at all.

The game ended, and after a few quick goodbyes to Mrs. Fennel and Wallace, Logan got Veronica to his SUV and took off to get her home.

"You were sure in a hurry for us to leave. Where's the fire?" Veronica teased as she adjusted her seat belt.

Logan pointed at the in-dash clock, "It's 6:10 p.m. and I am expected to be home for father/son bonding in fifty minutes. Subtracting for commuting time, that means if we hurry we can have twenty, maybe even twenty-five minutes of alone time."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, but while we drive, I thought you might fill me in on what happened with Mac. It's really not like her to miss one of Wallace's games."

"It was really weird, actually. So, you know we ditched to look up that stuff about Madison. Well, she found something about Neptune General awarding two families one million each for swapping their babies. The date and amount match up to the financial records we found on Madison," Veronica explained.

"Okay, that sucks for Madison, but what does that have to do with Mac?" Logan asked.

"No clue, but after she read the article she kind of freaked out. Then she...hm...she didn't... Look, I'm not really sure. Maybe you should call her and talk to her about it. I really like Mac, and I kind of got the feeling she didn't want you to know," Veronica replied hesitantly.

"Okay, if you're sure, I'll talk to her later," Logan agreed as they pulled into Veronica's driveway. He found himself feeling even more confused about Mac than when they'd left the game, but he quickly forgot his confusion as he realized that they were alone at last.

"So um...I...wow, I feel like a little schoolgirl." Logan laughed to himself.

"What? Why? Oh my God, you're blushing, Logan!" Veronica giggled.

"I am trying to invite you to my backseat, which you have encountered before, and I find myself suddenly very nervous." He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and looked away.

"How could a girl turn down an invitation like that?" she asked, climbing over the center console. "You'd better hurry or that twenty-five minutes is going to run out."

"I'd hate to disappoint," Logan teased as he scrambled over to join her, the tension effectively broken.

"I don't think you could ever disappoint me. I...well, I'm...wow, now who's blushing." Veronica sighed, clearly flustered.

Logan reached out and ran his fingers down her cheek and neck, finally resting his hand on her shoulder and gently squeezing it. "You know, just because we're in the backseat doesn't mean we have to do anything more than just talk." He smiled because he meant it. Sure, other activities were on his list, but he really did want more than just illicit encounters with Veronica.

"I'm really more of an actions kind of girl." Veronica seemed to be trying to rally, but that made Logan more hesitant than before.

"While I'm all for action, I'm a pretty big fan of words, too. Why don't you tell me some of the ones running through that pretty head of yours."

"I'm just worried," Veronica said, chewing on a nail.

"I promise I don't want you to do anything you're not comfortable with." Logan shifted in the seat to face Veronica.

"No, that's not what I mean. I know you wouldn't. I'm just...I'm not sure. I didn't really date before Conner, and well you know he and I…" she trailed off, playing with a loose thread on her top and Logan got it.

"It's okay Veronica, we'll take things slow. You'll set the pace." Logan reached out and rubbed her arms, hoping to offer comfort. She leaned into his touch momentarily, then completely surprised him by throwing her leg over his and settling in his lap.

"And what if I don't want to go slow." Veronica's eyes had gone dark.

Logan swallowed, "Um…'not slow' is an option I'm willing to consider." He felt his pulse increase as his blood flow redirected itself.

Logan let his eyes drift shut as he slid his hands around to grasp her hips and kissed her gently. Veronica tilted her head, deepening the kiss. Logan knew he should be cautious; she'd looked so hesitant just a few moments earlier, but his hormones had taken control. He pulled her in closer to him, rocking their bodies against each other before sliding his hands up from their position on Veronica's hips. He continued to keep the kiss as slow as he could and let his fingers dance along the edge of her shirt, finally slipping them under the hem. Being very careful of her still healing bruises, Logan wrapped his hands around her waist. Veronica was making small noises and shifted her body against him; it was almost more than Logan could take. He was just the slightest bit grateful that he had to be careful of her injuries, because otherwise he would be completely out of control.

Veronica pulled out of the kiss, panting heavily as she reached down and pulled her t-shirt over her head. Logan's eyes immediately moved to her blue lace covered swells. His thumbs drifted up from where they were, softly drawing circles on her ribs, and began to trace along the edge of her bra.

"God, Veronica, you're so beautiful." He brought his eyes up to see a shy smile on her face.

"Yours too?" she whispered.

Logan didn't hesitate. He pulled his shirt off and pulled Veronica flush against him, kissing her deeply. He let his hands wander, tickling up her sides and brushing them down her back while holding her close, their breaths coming almost ragged. While he'd been exploring her body, Veronica's hands had not been idle. Logan gasped as she traced his abs, her hand trailing lower, bringing Logan back to himself. They were not going to start that in the back seat of his car with less than ten minutes before he had to leave. He took her hand in his, but before he could speak, she had moved his hand to her lace covered breast. On instinct, he kneaded her gently, then rolled her peaked nipple between his thumb and forefinger, causing her to gasp and arch against him.

"More, Logan," Veronica moaned.

Logan shifted his hips, grinding up into her, as he took her other breast in his free hand. He watched in awe as Veronica continued to push into his hands and rolled her hips against him. He was so hard it was almost painful as their bodies moved.

_beep beep beep "Your mother is calling, stop what you're doing, calm down and answer the phone." beep beep beep_

"God dammit." Veronica pulled away.

"What the hell is that?" Logan panted.

"My mom is calling. Remind me to kill Conner for changing my ringtone."

"Not a problem; I'll kill him myself." Logan wiped a hand across his forehead and let his head fall back against the headrest while Veronica answered her phone.

"Hello."

Veronica was close enough that Logan could hear the other end of the conversation. " _Honey, are you going to bring your friend inside? I saw you pull in almost thirty minutes ago."_

"Shit," Logan said under his breath, and looked at the clock. It was 6:55 p.m. He was supposed to be home in five minutes.

"Um...no, Mom. Logan has to go."

"Tell her I'll come in next time," Logan whispered, placing a chaste kiss on Veronica's cheek, then lifting her off his lap to go in search of their shirts.

"He promises next time. I'll see you in just a minute." Veronica quickly ended the call.

Logan found his shirt in the back cargo area and finally spotted Veronica's on the floor of the front seat. He passed her the shirt, which she then pulled over her head. "Well, I think I could get used to 'not slow'." A huge smiled was plastered across her face.

"Me too." Logan came around and helped Veronica out of the backseat. He grasped her hand and walked her to the front door, "Call me later?"

"You couldn't stop me if you tried." She rose up on tiptoes and quickly kissed him again, "Talk to you later."

"Yeah, later."

Logan whistled all the way back to the Xterra; he didn't even care if he got in trouble for being late.  _Totally worth it._

Ten minutes later, Logan strolled up to his own front door, ready for a guilt trip about not spending time with his old man, when the front door burst open. Keith charged out, almost knocking Logan over.

"Son, I'm so sorry. Break in the case. Thai is in the fridge. I'll make it up to you later." And then the sheriff hopped into his patrol car and sped down the street.

Logan walked into the house and patted Backup on the head, "Well that was easier than I'd expected." Logan crouched down to give Backup a good ear scratch. The dog seemed restless. "You wanna play ball for a little while, boy?"

At the sound of the word 'ball', Backup pulled away from Logan and ran to the corner of the room to pull out his favorite toy, a mangled up semi-tennis ball. The pooch was so excited that when he bound back to Logan, he bowled him right over.

"All right, all right. Careful, ya big lug. I'll take that as a 'yes'," Logan said as he pulled the dog over on top of him for a quick wrestle. Logan quickly got to his feet and raced his dog out into the backyard, trying not to get tripped by the beast in the process.

Logan shot the ball across the backyard while he slowly crossed to the far corner and peeked over the fence into the Mackenzie's yard. The sun had long since set and Mac's yard was dark. From his spot on the fence, he could see that Mac's bedroom light was on.  _Family business, my ass. What is going on?_

Logan threw the ball for Backup a few more times as he considered all that Veronica had told him about her time with Mac that afternoon. They'd dug up some financials, but Logan didn't understand how anything in Madison's history would affect Mac. He couldn't just let it go, though, something was clearly wrong.

Logan walked Backup back to the house and filled up his food dish before he headed out the front door and around the side of his house. When they were kids he'd always used the side gate to enter her backyard so that he could sneak into Mac's room through her window undetected. It had been an almost nightly thing for several weeks at one point when his mom's drinking had gotten particularly bad. He hadn't entered the house that way in over a year, but it seemed somehow appropriate tonight. Logan slipped silently into Mac's backyard and made his way over to her bedroom window. He was surprised when he found it open and peeked in to find Mac laying on her bed facing away from him. With little effort, he hoisted himself into the open window and crawled through into her room.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," her voice seemed strained, and she didn't turn to look at him.

Logan made his way across her room and sat down on the edge of her bed. He leaned over, trying to get a look at her face. "Well thanks for leaving the window open to make it easy for me. I'd hate to break a sweat," he teased her and softly ruffled her hair. Her only response was a tearful snuffle and all joking swept immediately from his mind. "Hey, hey, what's wrong?" Logan laid down on the bed behind her and pulled her tightly against him.

"Oh, Logan, I don't want to talk about it." She was really crying now. "I can't tell you. I can't tell anyone." Logan was at a loss as to what to say. He instantly felt terrible for not paying more attention to Mac. Mac was always his rock; she never wavered or faltered. She always knew just how to comfort him, and he was desperate to return the favor.  _What could be this bad?_

"Mac, you're my best friend. You can tell me anything," he insisted, "Anything at all. Veronica said you had a family obligation tonight. Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah, the  _Mackenzies_  are perfectly fine," she wiped her eyes. "There was some demolition derby on TV and the family watched it together." Mac exhaled deeply as she spoke. Logan knew that Mac never fit in with her family, but it wasn't like her to scoff at them.

"So you missed Wallace's game for a demolition derby with your family?" he asked, trying to put the puzzle pieces together.

"No...not really. Not with  _my_  family," she was silent for a moment. "Logan…" she began but then became quiet again.

"Yeah?" he prompted.

"I know I always tease you and your dad about looking so different, but have you ever legitimately wondered if you're adopted? I mean it's a normal thing to wonder, right?"

Logan felt like the wind had been knocked out of him.  _How could she possibly know about that? It's the one thing I never told anyone; I was legally bound not to._

"Yes, I have," he whispered into her hair.

Mac spun around on the bed so that they were lying face-to-face, her eyes wide as saucers. "When?"

"The summer before freshman year. Remember that summer?"

Mac nodded. "How could I forget. That's the summer we got close again. Wallace moved here, too."

"Right. Well, part of the reason I went away to camp for two weeks was because all hell broke loose after Celeste Kane walked in on Lilly and me kissing." Mac's sudden intake of breath gave him pause. "It was just a silly game. Nothing serious. I knew I wasn't one of the 09ers, but they'd always been my friends. And Lilly was hot...well, you know."

Mac rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm well aware. Get to the good stuff, Mars."

"Well, Mrs. Kane walked in on us and went ballistic. She kicked Dick and the rest of the kids out and then called my parents. She was ranting and raving by the time they got there. And then Mr. Kane came home. I was freaking out. It was just a kiss; I didn't get what the big deal was. So anyway, my mom starts sobbing and it all comes out, right there on the spot. She and Jake had had this….affair, I guess. My dad started pacing and crying and then made us kids go outside. Long story short, we all got the general gist of the conversation: I'd just kissed my half-sister."

"Holy frak," Mac gasped. "I always knew it was something big, but I never thought...what happened next?"

"Mom started drinking...things got out of control. My parents started fighting all the time. I really liked Jake Kane, but my dad…" Logan stopped for a moment to take a deep breath and get control of his emotions. "Well, I started to look at all the differences between us physically—"

"I'm so sorry I ever teased you about that. I had no idea...he's still your dad either way. You know that, ri—"

"Mac, it's fine," Logan chuckled. "Really. After I got back from camp we did the DNA test; I'm a Mars through and through. Mom still left, but my dad is my dad. He's a hero. The hero is the one who stays...no matter what."

Mac gave him a weak smile and nodded. "You could have told me, ya know?" she said as she pulled him in for a long hug.

"I couldn't actually. I wasn't supposed to now, either. We had to sign a nondisclosure agreement and everything, so mums the word, okay?"

"Psha. As if I'd tell anyone," she assured him flippantly. "I'm your best friend."

"Is that so?" Logan teased.

"Yes, I have it on good authority. My best friend confirmed it just a few minutes ago." Mac moved up to sitting, so Logan did, too. He positioned himself so that he was leaning back against her headboard.

"You're right, I did," he smiled back and moved his legs so that she could maneuver around him. "So what prompted this little sharing session?" he asked as she hopped off the bed and made her way over to her bookbag. Mac pulled out a small stack of papers and held it out to him.

Logan took the papers from her and scooted across the bed so that she could sit next to him again.

"What are these?" he asked, scanning the top sheet. "Mac, Veronica told me about this baby-swap thing, but I don't get what it has to do with—" his breath caught and he turned to look at her. "You can't possibly think that you were switched at birth with Madison Sinclair, can you?"

"Logan we were born at the same hospital—almost on the same day," Mac insisted.

"You and probably about thirty other babies…"

"Flip to the next page," she prompted. "Don't worry about reading it, I already have their background check memorized." Mac stood up again and began pacing around her small room. "Natalie and Sam Mackenzie received one million dollars on May 12th, 1992. Shortly thereafter, they bought this house...and then made several other, less-wise financial decisions."

Logan finally got his wits about him enough to move. He jumped off the bed and crossed the short distance between them, pulling her into his arms. "Oh Mac, I'm so sorry."

"I guess I should be relieved or something, right?" Her voice became muffled as she sobbed into his shirt. "I mean, I always knew I didn't fit in. I always knew that  _I_  couldn't be a Cindy!"

Logan only hugged her tighter. His mind reeled as he searched for the correct response, something comforting or distracting or witty, but he was struck dumb. The only thing that would help right now was for him to say something that made this whole mess not true. But there was nothing to say in that regard. He couldn't imagine how he'd have felt if he'd learned that Keith wasn't his real father...if he wasn't really a Mars. In the end, all he did was pull her onto the bed and let her cry herself to sleep in his arms.

_Why can't anything in this life ever be easy?_


	5. On the fifth day of Christmas, Deputy Leo gave to me...five rescued dogs

**Chapter 5: On the fifth day of Christmas, Deputy Leo gave to me...five rescued dogs**

* * *

**Wednesday, December 15th**

Veronica dropped her messenger bag on the floor of her bedroom. It was the first time since her most recent  _encounter_  with Aaron that she had driven herself to school. And, as much as she enjoyed having Logan be her chauffeur with benefits, it had felt really good to drive herself to and from school, even if it had only been a half-day.

It really had been a strange week. A new relationship—secret—but honestly, that part wasn't so different from her and Conner's relationship. Veronica was accustomed to lying about most aspects of her life. But what _had_  been unexpected was that, in realizing how much she felt for Logan, she'd learned how much she had been missing out on due to her public relationship with Conner. Veronica did a little pirouette as she remembered the look on Logan's face the previous evening. She was pretty sure that she could sustain herself on just that for years to come, which had her seriously wondering about what life could be like if she could be with Logan for real. No sneaking around. No hiding from the paparazzi.  _Damn sharks,_  she thought as her phone pinged.

**Conner:**  Hey gorgeous...u free?

Veronica smiled at the text. She hadn't gotten to talk to Conner since he'd left. They'd texted, but his filming schedule the last few days had been particularly gruesome so that he could take several days off for a premiere over the weekend. She groaned...a premiere she was supposed to attend.

Veronica quickly put in Conner's speed dial.

" _Veronica! I was hoping you'd be free."_ Conner's confident and comforting voice came over the line.

"Hey. I've missed you the last few days," Veronica said, truly meaning it. Two days felt like an eternity.

" _Me too. How's Loo-gaaan?"_  he teased.

"Um...amazing and unhg...ahh...I...shut up!"

" _Veronica and Logan sitting in a tree…K-I-S-S—"_  Conner sing-songed.

"I really did mean it when I said shut up. He's...well, I'm only going to say this once: you were right."

" _Hallelujah! The girl finally listens. But really, babe, I'm so happy. And now I need all the details because you sound...hm...satisfied?"_

"Knock it off. He's not some pretty-boy jerk just looking to get laid," Veronica chastised him.

" _Are you saying he's not pretty?"_ Conner teased.

"Oh, he's pretty all right. God his hands—"

" _You little minx,"_ Veronica heard an audible sigh, _"I really am sorry, Veronica. When we made our little arrangement I didn't really think about what it might mean for you like that. I wish I could have given you more…"_  Conner said sadly.

"No! Don't say that. What you've done...Conner, I can't thank you enough for the last year and a half. I just…"

" _I know, babygirl. You don't know what you're missing until you experience it first hand. I'm so sorry that I couldn't give you that."_

"No, but you helped me see that Logan could. I never would have given this a chance if not for you." She felt a contentment settle in her that she'd never really felt before. It was a feeling she hoped she'd get to experience many more times.

" _Not to change the subject, but the reason I texted–"_

"Yes, I know. We have your premiere this weekend. I haven't forgotten," Veronica replied.

" _Um...actually. I was able to secure a few extra seats. Any chance your new friends in Neptune might want to come up and see Christmas Crossfire?"_

"Really? I dunno—"

" _Come on, Ronica. You could all come up on Friday night or Saturday morning and stay the whole weekend at my place. I have plenty of room. It might give you and Logan a chance to spend some time together without worrying about...well, anything."_

Veronica considered Conner's offer. It would be nice, but if paparazzi were an issue in Neptune, LA would be intense.

" _I mean it, Veronica. If we show up to the premiere together and then hit an after party, we'll maintain our 'boring couple' routine. They'll take some pictures, and we'll have some fun. You can dance with me, Logan, and um...what's your new girl friend's name?"_

"Mac."

" _Right, Mac. We'll all dance and drink a little….look normal for the cameras. Then we can go back to my place. You and Logan can have the pool house, and your friends can take the guestrooms."_

Veronica thought about how nice it might be to have some time with Logan, just the two of them. But after a moment she started to panic. It would be time just the two of them. No parents calling. No curfews. Her heart started to pound.

"I—I'm not sure I'm ready for that," she said, her nerves front and center.

" _If you're not, you know you can always sleep with me. I don't think Logan would hold that against you,"_ Conner soothed.

"I know he wouldn't, but...I want  _more_  with him, I do. I'm just not sure. We haven't talked about it, but I think he's much more experienced," she said apprehensively.

" _So? What does that matter?"_  Conner asked sincerely.

"I don't want him to be disappointed or regret anything."

" _Silly girl, I don't think that's possible. He is completely over the moon about you. Here's what I want you to do: take a deep breath, maybe a couple of shots of rum, and just tell him you're nervous. He'll understand, and if I'm right, he's going to help you through this."_

"Ha!  _This_. You realize 'this' is my virginity, right? This conversation is giving me hives." Veronica scratched at her arms.

" _You are so damn literal. You know there is a lot between 'here' and your virginity, right? Please, for my sake, Logan's and yours, just calm down. Be honest with him, and only do what feels right. Can you do that?"_

"I don't know," she said, feeling defeated.

" _Well, if you can't, I'm going to do it for you. So think on that. Do you want me explaining to Logan that you're warm for his form but scared of his...um...nothing good rhymes. You get my point, right?"_ Conner chuckled.

"Yeah, I get it. Here is what I'm willing to commit to right now: I will invite them. And, if they are free to come up for the premiere, we'll take it from there."

" _You've got yourself a deal, Echolls!"_ Conner declared and then hung up.

* * *

Logan scouted the parking lot before school started, looking for Hans' van. And sure enough, it had a radio station sticker with a cowboy on a bronco.  _Well that explains the cowboy, but…_  Logan took a step back to take in the van better and noticed that it's mud flaps featured a busty lady in profile.  _Yahtzee!_  Now he was left with the question of just what to do with that information. Logan had briefly considered confronting Hans, but if he did that without having access to where the dogs were being kept, or if Angel was wrong about the room at Animal Control, Logan shuddered at the thought of what might happen to Chester and any of the other dogs that had been stolen.

Part of the problem was that Logan was used to having his crew to help him with these things, but today he was on his own. Wallace was stuck at some basketball thing—something about training assignments for during the break. Veronica had asked for a raincheck so that she could go home and relax for a little while. And Mac was barely functioning. She'd woken up later the previous night, kicked Logan out, and said she'd call him later.

All of that left Logan on his own.  _Or did it?_  Logan threw the Xterra in gear and headed for the sheriff's station. Just like his dad had said, he didn't need to handle everything on his own.

A few minutes later, Logan was seated across from his dad.

"What do you mean you've had a break?" Keith asked, his brows raised.

"Well, you know Weevil?"

Keith smirked, "You know that I do."

"So, I guess he heard that I was looking into this, and his uncle, Angel...well, it turns out he works as a janitor down at Animal Control. He gave me the final piece of the puzzle. There are at least two guys at Animal Control who are picking up expensive 09er dogs and then collecting the high value rewards; this guy Hans and his boss, JW. I'm just worried about what they've been doing with the dogs that don't have high rewards," Logan explained.

Keith nodded his head and stood up, "Well, I think it's time we found out, don't you?"

Logan followed his dad back out into the bullpen and over to the desk of the newest deputy.

"Leo D'Amato, this is my son, Logan. And if you're up for it, he has a case that I think would be a good one to break you in on. What'd you say?" Keith winked at Logan.

Leo gave Logan a long appraising look, "I'd love to help."

"Fantastic. Well you two have fun, and let me know if you need anything," Keith said, patting Logan on the shoulder then heading back to his office.

"So, Logan, I've gotta know, why did you have that hat in your bag?" Leo asked. "It's been driving me crazy."

"Well, you see, one day it was too wet to go out and too cold to play ball. So I was stuck at home and could do nothing at all—"

"You think you're real clever don't you?" Leo chuckled.

"No, Deputy, I know that I am. Any chance I could interest you in some green eggs and ham?" Logan smirked.

"You're not going to tell me are you?"

"Why some fish are sad and some fish are glad? You'd have to ask my dad." Logan continued to laugh to himself and took a seat across from the deputy.

"What? Do you have all of Dr. Seuss memorized or something?" Leo looked like he was starting to get annoyed.

"Not all of it," Logan shrugged. "Just the fun parts. The hat was a gag gift from a friend after I lost a bet and everything I said for a week had to rhyme." Logan smiled at the memory of Mac pulling out a last minute win during an all night Mario Kart marathon, beating Logan by one race.

"That's a pretty good one," the deputy smiled, revealing huge dimples.

_Note to self: Keep Mac and Veronica away from this one,_ Logan decided, and then pulled a folder out of his messenger bag. "Here is what I've got…"

Logan spent the next few minutes explaining what he'd found out about Chester and the evidence he had that Hans and JW, the dog catchers at Animal Control, were actually responsible for the increase in missing dogs.

Leo rubbed his temples, "What kind of asshole steals people's pets? Look, it would be my pleasure to bust these guys. And with all of this," he indicated the evidence Logan had accumulated, "it shouldn't be a problem. Animal Control is a county building, so we can just go in and check. If the dogs aren't there, then we'll bring the guys in and start trying to work that out. But if they are, then we've got 'em dead to rights."

"Great, when do we leave?" Logan asked, rubbing his hands together in excitement.

"Now. If you're up for it," Leo said as he stood up from his desk. "You know, I'd heard you were something of a junior detective. You do this sort of thing a lot?"

"Um...finding lost animals not so much, but yeah, I take on cases for friends."

"That's very admirable of you," Leo said, holding the door open for Logan. "Maybe sometime you could tell me about some of the other cases you've worked. Maybe over coffee or something?" Leo smiled shyly.

_Did he just hit on me?_  "Oh, um...sure, I guess. I mean really, it's not just me. My friends Wallace and Mac help a lot and my girlfriend has started getting in on the cases, too." Logan was careful not to mention her name as they got into the patrol car.

"Oh," Leo sounded disappointed, "um...maybe we could all get together then?"

Logan smiled, "Sure, we can tell you about a few of our capers and fill you in on the department gossip."

Leo's expression turned from disappointment to obvious enthusiasm, "I would really like that. You ready to take these jerks down?"

"I was born ready."

* * *

**Thursday, December 16th**

"What if they're giving him a better life?" Mandy asked, tears gathering in her eyes, as Logan parked in front of the address he'd been given early that morning.

"Don't think like that, Mandy. You raised Chester and you love him. None of the rest matters." Logan put a reassuring hand on Mandy's shoulder, "Come on, you've come this far."

Mandy nodded and got out of the SUV. She moved slowly up the walkway, "But…"

"But nothing. Go ring that doorbell and get Chester back." Logan pushed, a bit confused by Mandy's reluctance. It took him a moment to realize the real problem. "Mandy, Chester loves you, too. He's going to want to go home with you."

Mandy turned and smiled, "You really think so?"

"I do. Now put on your big girl pants and go get your boy." Logan grabbed Mandy's shoulders and turned her so that she was square with the door.

After one more moment's hesitation, Mandy reached out and rang the bell. The door swung open moments later, and before Mandy even spoke Chester shot out of the house into her arms. Logan couldn't help but smile as Mandy collapsed to the ground with her four-legged best friend.

"Thank you," Logan said to the woman standing in the doorway. "Here is Deputy D'Amato's card. Call him and you can join the others pressing charges against the the men who sold you Chester."

The woman smiled wanly, "They told me his owner had died. He was so sad that it wasn't hard to believe. I'm glad it wasn't true." She nodded at Mandy and Chester, and then stepped back inside and closed the door.

Logan tapped her on the shoulder. "Come on, Mandy. Let's get you and Chester home."

Mandy cooed and snuggled with Chester all the way to her house. When they arrived, Logan hopped out of the SUV to walk Mandy to her front door. Chester barely had his feet on the ground before he was racing full speed to the front door. Logan was in the process of holding out his hand to shake Mandy's when she launched herself at him.

"Thank you, Logan. Thank you so much!" She was practically whimpering on his shoulder.

Logan awkwardly patted her back, "It was my pleasure, really." But she didn't release him, "Um...Mandy, I…" he tried to back away.

"Oh, sorry. I'm just so…" Mandy was blushing furiously.

"It's okay. I need to get going, but I'm really glad we found Chester." Logan turned to walk away.

"Wait Logan. I—I know I can't pay you, but maybe I could take you to dinner or something?" Mandy asked shyly.

Seriously?  _First, Conner, then Leo and now Mandy. I guess that what they say is true: once you're in a relationship, people hit on you left and right. At least Mandy's a girl!_ He laughed to himself.

Logan shifted his weight nervously, trying hard to think of a nice way to turn her down when his phone began ringing,  _saved by the bell_.

He held up the phone, displaying Veronica's picture, "Sorry, I need to take this." He quickly accepted the call, "Veronica, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

" _Didn't you ask me to call you?"_  she asked, confusion in her voice.

"I did indeed. And your timing is impeccable."

" _She tried to ask you out didn't she?"_  Veronica giggled.

"Yes, where do you need me to pick you up?" he asked, glancing at Mandy, a very serious expression on his face.

" _You know I'm at home, you loon. Now tell her you need to stay on the line with me but you'll check in with her."_

Logan put his hand up to the phone, "Sorry Mandy, it's an important call and I need to stay on the line, but I'll check in with you."

Mandy looked disappointed but nodded and gave Logan a small wave, which he returned as he bounded to the Xterra.

" _Did you break her heart?_ " Veronica asked as Logan drove off.

"Naw, she wouldn't want me anyway. Remember what I told you? I've got my sights set on a little blonde, and as sweet as Mandy is, she's not what I'm looking for."

" _And what are you looking for, Logan?_ " Veronica asked, a quiver in her voice.

"You, Veronica. Only you."

* * *

Veronica sat, bouncing in her seat as she waited for Logan to arrive. They hadn't seen much of each other the previous day. She'd have been upset with him for canceling their tentative dinner plans the previous night if it weren't for the fact that he'd solved Mandy's case. She just couldn't be upset about that.

The gate alarm chimed and Veronica raced down the stairs. She yanked open the door as Logan strode up to it with a huge grin on his face. Veronica threw herself into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist, as she peppered kisses across his face.

"This is how I want to start every morning. With a hot blonde throwing herself at me." Logan laughed and walked them into the house kicking the door shut with his foot.

"Well, I don't know about every morning, but what if we could start a few mornings this way?" Veronica asked. The shyness of her tone was a stark contrast to her current location boldly wrapped around Logan.

"I definitely wouldn't object. How do you propose to make that possible?" Logan asked, still walking them through the house.

Veronica leaned down and placed her lips almost against his ears, "You could come to LA for Conner's premiere this weekend. He, um...he offered us his pool house." The words were barely out of Veronica's mouth when Logan turned and pushed her against the wall.

His lips were sliding against hers in an instant, his intensity showing her exactly how he felt about her proposition. He trailed his lips down her neck. Veronica couldn't help but giggle at the heady feeling, "I'll take that as a 'yes'?"

"Yes. Yes. Yes," he said between kisses. Then he abruptly stopped. "Um...Veronica?" Logan pulled back a bit and looked Veronica in the eyes, "If you're offering this because you—"

"I'm not sure what I'm offering yet. But I want the chance to find out. Is that okay?"

Logan placed Veronica back on her feet and took her hands, "I am okay with whatever you want. No pressure. Just getting to be with you is more than I expected." He placed a gentle kiss on her temple.

"For me too, Logan." Veronica said, leaning into Logan's side as they walked into the kitchen. "So now that you've reunited Chester and Mandy, and I've saved you from Mandy's, what I am sure were, unsavory intentions, what do you propose we do until it's time to head to this party?"

"Well, I happen to have a two-part plan...do you think you can pull off a girlie afternoon with Mac?"

"I'm sure it is within my skill set. And what is the other part of your plan?" she asked, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

"Well, I thought that before I sent you in to get Mac, maybe you and I could have lunch and...I dunno...maybe pick up where we left off on Tuesday?"

"And here I thought Mandy was the one with unsav—" Veronica was cut off by Logan's lips. Suddenly, picking up where they'd left off seemed like a really good idea.

"Is anyone else home?" Logan asked, his hands slipping under her shirt.

Veronica gasped at the feeling of his fingers ghosting across her abdomen, "Um...sorry, what?"

"Home. Is anyone else home?"

Veronica pulled back, "Yes! Shit. My mom is home and some of the help are around."

"So, unless I want to get caught making out by the star of The Pursuit of Happiness and Days of Our Lives, we should change locations?"

"Um...yes, and I'm a little worried that you know my mom's IMDB credits," Veronica said, standing up and holding out her hand.

"Oh come on, everyone knows those two. What should worry you is that I know about her role as Roxie in Chicago." Logan smirked, letting Veronica pull him out of the house, through the French doors and out onto the patio.

"That does worry me. I remember that, though. It was a lot of fun—I got to hangout while they rehearsed, and I sang with everyone..." Veronica smiled at the happy memory.

"You must have been so little," Logan teased, rushing ahead of Veronica and jumping down the two steps. He pivoted around and grabbed her waist.

Veronica laughed out loud as Logan swung her off the stairs then pulled her to him and twirled her until they were in front of the pool house doors.

"I  _was_  little," Veronica finally answered, a bit breathless. "Um...maybe six or seven. Remind me later and I'll show you my favorite picture. It's my mom and I both having our makeup done before opening night. The costume designer made me a dress to match my mom's." The six months they'd spent in New York were some of Veronica's favorite memories. She pulled open the doors and walked in ahead of Logan.

"I'm going to hold you to tha—oh my God, you've got to be kidding me!" Logan snorted. Veronica turned around to find him holding the 'Aaron Echolls' curtains between his thumb and forefinger as if they were a particularly disgusting piece of garbage.

"You ain't seen nothin', my friend. While we're in LA for  _Christmas Crossfire,_  we can stop at the beach house and I'll show you the rest of Aaron's Ode to Narcissism. All of the glassware in the poolside bar has his face on it!" Veronica smirked and walked Logan backward into the bed.

Logan looked around the room and let himself be pushed down. "And just what do you think you're doing?"

"You're too tall," Veronica smiled and climbed onto the bed, sitting on Logan. "I needed to level the playing field." She leaned forward to kiss him.

Logan grasped the hem of her t-shirt, rubbing the fabric between his fingers for a moment before tugging it over her head, "Is this where you take all your conquests?" he asked, eyebrows bobbing.

Veronica laughed, and reached behind her back. "Nope, only the tall ones…" she said as she released her bra and let it slide off her shoulders. "I think the conversation portion of the morning has past."

"Yeah, past," Logan agreed, licking his lips and massaging Veronica's hips with his thumbs for a moment before he flipped them over so that she was underneath him. "Is this okay?"

Veronica wrapped her arms around Logan's neck and pulled him down to her, "It's definitely okay."

He kissed her deeply, before pushing up and pulling off his t-shirt. He smirked down at her, "Didn't seem fair." Then he resumed kissing her. His chest rubbed against hers, causing a light, but unexpected, friction that had Veronica moaning into Logan's mouth. Veronica felt as if her whole body was tingling, which turned into a burning sensation as Logan's lips left hers and started working their way down her neck.

He looked up into her eyes, uncertainty and adoration in his expression. "Please, Logan." He smiled and dipped, his lips brushing across one of her nipples as his hand grasped her bare thigh; her skirt had worked up precariously high from rolling around on the bed.

"Veronica, I—I want to touch you, but…" Logan's warm breath on her chest, his cheek resting on her breast, deep brown eyes boring into her own. "Have you ever..." he trailed off.

_Oh God, oh God_ , Veronica thought as she contemplated what he was suggesting. What they were doing right now was more than she had ever done before. A few light, over-the-clothes touches from a boy she'd made out with her freshman year of high school and fake Hollywood kisses with Conner were all she'd ever experienced until Logan.

She shook her head a little too urgently, and Logan immediately backed off. He eyes soft, no sign of disappointment. "Only what you're comfortable with. Do you want—"

"I do want. I um...I've never done  _that_ ," Veronica blurted out.

Logan chuckled, "Veronica if you can't say it, we don't need to do it." He smiled and placed a gentle kiss to her lips.

Veronica decided to take advantage. She slipped her arms back to Logan's neck and held him close, deepening the kiss once he started to yield. Veronica released one of her hands and used it to move Logan's hand back to where it had been on her thigh. He squeezed her quad, sending hot tingly sensations through her core.

"Say it," Logan pushed.

"Touch me," she spread her legs a bit, "there. I want you to."

One moment his hand was wrapped around her thigh, and then it moved and Veronica instantly couldn't think straight. Every thought, every sensation was focused on Logan and what he was doing to her. Veronica lost herself in Logan's eyes, his touch, their shared breath. Oxygen depletion and searing skin.

"God, Veronica, you are so beautiful. Let go," Logan panted, his eyes never leaving hers. And then Veronica was falling and Logan was catching her; soft lips and sweet words. Bliss.

* * *

Mac watched as Logan practically skipped his way up to her front door, dragging a giggly and blushing Veronica behind him.  _Oh God, I'm doomed,_ she thought as Logan's persistent knock began on her door. It was a knock that would have let her know it was Logan even if she hadn't seen him.  _That boy always knows how to make his presence known_.

Mac got up and made her way to the door, opening it with her hands raised defensively, "No happiness or joy shall enter here or ye shall perish," Mac said, affecting a pirate voice.

"Well, I guess that tells me where your head is. Oh come on, Mac, I come bearing gifts," Logan held his arms out wide. "Gift number one: Veronica. She comes fully-equipped with all manner of girlie material." Veronica held up two bags. "Gift number two: invitations for all of us to Madison's big winter break party. And finally, gift number three: brand new, green iPod mini."

As much as Mac wanted to be irritated, she couldn't be.  _An iPod mini!_ She managed to crack a sincere smile. There was a reason Logan Mars was her BFF. Before she could stop herself, she had wrapped her arms around him and hugged him.

Logan laughed softly, hugging her back, "You're the third person to do that today."

"Third! Oh...Mandy." Mac laughed, pulling out of the hug.

"Yes, though with Mandy it was more like she was clinging to me; Veronica climbed me like a monkey." He paused to give Veronica a salacious grin. "And, well, how are you today Mac-a-roni? Better now that you have a new toy?"

"Better...the same...I dunno really," she said sadly, pulling out of Logan's arms. "Did you tell Veronica?"

Veronica stepped forward and put an arm around Mac's waist, "Believe it or not, I kind of figured it out after all the drama. But yeah, Logan told me, too. I hope that was okay."

Mac nodded; it was okay, she supposed. _I'd have preferred that no one knew, but what's a girl supposed to do?_

"Okay, ladies. Mac, I leave you in the best of hands. Veronica, don't let Mac talk you into doing anything illegal without me. I have some plans with Wallace, and then I'll be back and we'll follow each other to the party." Logan smiled brightly.

"Can you tell Wallace? I don't want to have to talk about it anymore," Mac said, looking down at her feet.

"Of course. But then whatever will you and Veronica talk about while you get ready for the party of the year?" Logan asked, a goofy grin on his face.

"Well, that's easy, Mars. I'm going to convince her to tell me all about what you two have been up to." Mac winked.

"Hey, I'm standing right here, you know!" Veronica said, clearly scandalized.

Logan swooped in and pulled Veronica close, kissing her soundly. "Nothing could keep me from noticing you," he whispered the words, but Mac still heard him.

"Get out of here. I want some of this promised girly time. I need to continue bonding with my new friend." Veronica lightly smacked his shoulder as she pulled out of his arms.

"I had a different kind of bonding–umph!" Veronica elbowed Logan in the ribs, much to Mac's delight.

"Okay, you two, that's enough. Don't make me yearn for the days when you were trying to hide that you're together. Logan, get out of here. We'll be seeing you again before you know it." Mac continued to laugh at Logan's antics.

"Fine. Fine. I'm leaving." He pressed one last chaste kiss to Veronica's lips and skipped out the door.

"Wow, I'm sorry about that. He's incorrigible," Veronica said, a hint of embarrassment on her face.

"It's fine. I'm actually really enjoying seeing him so happy," Mac said, meaning it. "Though, I'll admit I'm a little confused about the Conner thing."

"Oh, I guess explanations haven't really been offered, huh?" Veronica asked, her gaze still concentrated on Logan's car as it pulled away from the Mackenzie house. "Um...well, it's kind of complicated, but the simple version is that Conner and I are a media couple, but not an actual couple."

Mac stared at Veronica somewhat incredulous, "I have no idea what that means."

Veronica threw herself down on the couch. "It means that we pose for pictures, we go to events together, things like that. In public we're affectionate, but privately, we're just really good friends."

"Why would you ever do that?" Mac felt at a loss. Conner was gorgeous, who wouldn't want him?

"I'm not exactly Conner's type, but I am  _totally_  Conner's demographic's type. Do you get what I'm saying?" Veronica asked.

But Mac still felt lost,  _Conner's demographic…_  "My dad and brother love him; is that what you mean?"

"Do your dad and brother like petite blondes?" Veronica asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Um...I guess."

"Well, Conner doesn't." Veronica was smirking.

Mac thrilled for a second, maybe Conner liked brunettes instead, "He likes his girls darker?"

"Oh, he likes 'em darker, but more like tall, dark and handsome. Logan is definitely more his type than I am." Veronica snorted.

"Logan, but he...but Logan's… Are you telling me Conner Larkin, action movie hero, is gay!?" Mac burst out.

"Yes, Mac, that is exactly what I'm saying."

Mac collapsed into a reclining chair. "Don't tell my dad. He'd be crushed. I mean don't get me wrong, they're not like homophobic or anything, but...I don't think they'd take it very well," Mac said sadly.

"That's what Conner's publicist said, too. But I promise he really is as pretty to look at as I described, and he is a sucker for attention. He'd be thrilled to have you admire him. He is most definitely an equal opportunity attention whore." Veronica winked and stood up. "Okay, enough about my other life as a beard; time to start getting ready for this party."

"Veronica we have almost two hours." Mac grabbed the box containing her new iPod and tore into it. "What's the rush?" she asked, confused.

"Crap, only two hours? I'll have to make do. We may be a little rushed." Veronica looked flustered.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

"Can someone please tell me who thought this was a good idea?" Mac asked crossly as the group approached Madison's front door.

"We all did, remember?" Logan reminded her. He had to admit that he was a little intimidated himself, which was out of character for him. Mac was one step away from a breakdown, and it took everything in him not to touch Veronica, like every second.  _Thank God for Wallace_ , he thought. Wallace was taking all this new information in stride, which Logan hoped would help keep everyone sane tonight.

"Well, I'd like to change my vote now, not that I remember voting to come at all," Mac grumbled. "And I feel like I'm wearing a costume." Mac U-turned and began to walk back toward the street.

"No, no, no," Logan jogged to catch up to her and spun her back around. "If you don't go in there now, you will regret it. We may never have another opportunity like this one; tonight's the night, Mac-aroon. Besides, this is why we drove two cars. You can bail in an hour if you want to," Logan pressed, steering her by the shoulders.

Logan gave Wallace a look, and Wallace folded Mac's arm in his. The two of them took the lead and trudged up toward the front door. "Mac, you look amazing," he sounded sincere. "I promise that you don't look like you're in a costume."

"I look like an 09er!" she protested.

"Great! It's an 09er party at an 09er house; you'll fit in perfectly!" Wallace insisted as he stepped up to the porch. "Ready?"

"No!" Logan, Mac and Veronica answered simultaneously.

Logan turned to give Veronica a weak smile just as Wallace knocked on the door. It swung open a moment later to reveal Madison Sinclair. Her smile immediately melted off her face at the sight of them.

"Happy winter break!" the four guests shouted in unison, with varying degrees of excitement.

"Who invited you?" Logan laughed at the horrified expression on Madison's face. She looked like someone had just pissed in her Minolos.

"Seth Russell, from history," Wallace nodded enthusiastically, stepping over the threshold.

"No, I'm pretty sure it was Adam Bunting!" Mac insisted, taking another step into Madison's house.

"No, everyone hates him since he turned out to be poor. It must have been Adam Hamilton, the kid who looks like Fievel." Logan watched as Wallace brushed past Madison with Mac in tow.

"Actually it was me, Madison," Veronica piped up from her spot in the doorway.

"Why are you even here?" she asked, her jaw clenched shut.

"Lilly invited me. You were there, remember?"

"Yes, but...did you have to bring your  _pets_? Logan is bad enough—" she began angrily.

"It's nice to see you, too, Madison. Gracious hostess as always. Well, you did your duty; you let us in. Go attend to the upper upper bourgie," Logan said sarcastically, pushing Veronica ahead of him into the house.

"Fine, whatever. Just don't touch...anything," Madison finished and went storming through the house.

"Well, this is fun," Logan said in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Why don't we make our way—"

"You came!" Lilly's voice squealed out from the back of the house. Logan turned to see her skipping up to them, looking elated. "And you brought Logan, Wallace and…" Lilly screwed up her face in concentration.

"I need a bathroom," Mac said, "One upstairs, maybe?" She turned to Logan and whispered, "Near  _my_ bedroom, perhaps?"

"Mac, wait!" Logan called as she took off toward the stairs.

"What did I say?" Lilly asked innocently.

"Nothing, she isn't feeling well. Veronica, is it cool if, I…" Logan trailed off and he nodded his head toward the stairs.

"I—" was all Veronica could get out before she was interrupted.

"Your precious Veronica will be fine with me. And, besides, Wallace will be in the backyard with us. All the best jocks are already out there, Wally." Lilly took Veronica's hand and pulled her through the house. Logan heard Lilly chattering away as they disappeared down the hall with Wallace at their heels, "...so glad you came, Veronica Echolls. This party is a total snorefest so far. We need some new blood to liven..."

Logan caught up to Mac quickly; she hadn't even made it up the stairs, yet. "You okay?" he asked.  _Stupid question, Mars. How could she even be remotely close to being okay?_

"Oh, fantastic," she replied lightly. Logan followed her gaze. There were pictures of the Sinclairs covering the wall that lead up the staircase. "I have a...sister," she gulped.

Logan pulled her back so that she rested against him as he took in the wall, too. There were pictures of the family from all around the world: Paris, Cairo, Athens, Agra.  _Holy shit._  Madison was the obvious anomaly in the photos. The Sinclairs were all dark except for her. ' _Three of these kids belong together...three of these kids are kinda the same...but one of these kids is doing his own thing…can ya tell me which one?'_  Logan sang in his head. Mac would have fit in perfectly; it was as if an incorrect piece had been placed in a portrait puzzle.

"Mac—" he began.

"Just  _stop_ , Logan," she hissed, pushing away from him and continuing up the stairs. "Nothing you say could possibly help right now."

Mac walked down the long hall on the second floor of the Sinclair house, opening doors and peering inside each as she went. Logan followed along behind her cautiously. He could only do so much; sometimes Mac needed to go through all the steps before she could process information. He watched as she flipped the light on in one room and stayed in the doorway.  _Here we go again,_  he thought as he sped up to take her hand. He pulled her into Madison's room and shut the door behind them.

"Come on, Mac. You've seen it. Let's get out of here. This isn't doing you any good." Suddenly Mac looked like she was going to be sick. Logan followed her gaze, really taking in Madison's room for the first time.

It was pink. Garishly pink. Literally  _everything_  was pink. It was hideous. And the walls were like a shrine to Dick Casablancas. There were pictures of him surfing, at school, with Madison, without Madison. Logan snapped his head back around to face Mac, unsure how she was going to react.

He watched as she pivoted around, her mouth hanging open. When she made it full circle and was back to facing Logan, she just stared at him, wide-eyed.

Logan couldn't contain his mirth any longer. He slapped a hand over his mouth to contain his laughter, but it didn't work. He bent over and rested his free hand on his knee to prop himself up as he shook with unreleased laughter. He looked up at her and noticed that there were tears streaming down her face. She was laughing so hard that she made no sound, and a moment later they were both doubled over, clutching at each other as they laughed harder than they had in years.

"Holy crap, Logan. Is she twelve? It looks like a flamingo threw up in here," Mac said, choking on her own laughter.

"What? Don't you like your life, Mackie? You don't want to move in right now?" he asked between laughs, gulping desperately as he tried to catch his breath.

When she finally calmed down, Mac grabbed his hand and pulled him to the door. "Shut up. There are no words! Get me out of here, please."

"Gladly," he responded as he threw open the door and pulled her through it behind him. They were still laughing when they made it down the stairs. "Let's go in here for a minute. It looks quiet," he said, and they ducked into a room with only one light on near an arm chair.

"Well, I could do without the bedroom, but this...this I could get used to. I doubt Madison has ever even stepped into this room," Mac sighed, obviously jealous.

"Trust me, she hasn't," said a voice from the armchair. Logan and Mac walked farther into the room and a face popped around to look at them from the chair. "I'm Madison's sister, Lauren."

Logan could tell that Mac was hesitant so he lightly pushed her forward.

"Hi. I'm Mac," she said quietly.

"That's a cool name," Lauren said, smiling.

"Thanks. Whatcha reading?" Mac asked, making Logan smile.

He was finally glad he'd pushed her into coming.

* * *

"You have got to be kidding me," Lilly stated, a disgusted look on her face. Veronica turned to see a pretty girl walking in the opposite direction of Lilly and Veronica. "I can't believe  _Carrie Bishop_  had the nerve to crash  _our_  affaire."

"What's wrong with Carrie? She's a gossip, but she's not that bad," Veronica disliked the way Lilly sneered at outsiders. It reminded her of Madison and all the girls at her school in LA. Lilly had said Carrie's name as if she were on par with Klaus Barbie.

"Oh, yes. She  _seems_  like a lot of things, but her best friend Susan got a little hot for teacher earlier this year and the two of them came up with this whole scenario to get him fired when he rejected her. Luckily, the rest of us set them straight and Mr. Rooks didn't lose his job. Susan hasn't shown her face at school since, but Carrie, on the other hand, still parades around like Miss High and Mighty.

Veronica groaned and scanned the crowd for someone, anyone, else that she could attach herself to. "I think I'm going to try to find Mac and Wallace," Veronica said, standing on her tippy toes in an attempt to see over the crowd. "I'll be right back," she stated as she hurried away from Lilly. Veronica walked through the party, not paying attention to her surroundings as she checked the faces across the yard near the pool, looking for any of her friends. Or, alternately, a drink. She caught a glimpse of Wallace in the distance and pushed her way through a group of people standing at the bar. A drink was thrust in front of her and Veronica seized it with her right hand, not stopping to look at its bearer, as long as it had some kick.

She lost sight of Wallace as she cleared the crowd, and whirled around to come face-to-face with Lilly again. "Who cares about them, Veronica Echolls. Listen, I know you have this little crush thing on Logan, but I've got to tell you from personal experience that Logan Mars is more trouble than he's worth."

"Oh, really? That sounds ominous," Veronica prompted. As much as she wanted to flee the scene, she needed to hear what Lilly had to say about her relationship with Logan even more. She could tell that Lilly was eager to share her story as well. Veronica backed up until she was leaning against an outside wall of the house and took a large chug of the drink in her hand.  _Hmm, rum and coke. Not my usual drink of choice, but it'll do. I think I might need some liquor in me to hear whatever it is that she's got to say._

"Well, I'm not one to kiss and tell, but—"

_Kiss, eh, one cup is not going to be nearly enough,_  Veronica groaned as she took three more huge gulps and then looked toward the bar to see Madison glaring at her and Lilly.  _That girl needs to get a life_.

"—pool house ridiculousness, really. We were kids, that's all."

Veronica stared at Lilly intently.  _Did I just miss the whole story? It couldn't have been that sordid if I missed the whole thing in the last thirty seconds._

"So, enough about boys. I want to talk about  _men._  We need to plan another girls' weekend up in LA," Lilly bounced a little, her eyes wide.

"Yeah, Madison would just  _love_  that," Veronica snorted into her cup, and then looked at it in disappointment. The cup was empty.  _That was fast. Who drank my drink?_ She giggled into her empty cup.

"Oh, we'll leave her home this time. She's really not all bad when you get to know her, but she doesn't like change." Lilly rolled her eyes theatrically and laughed. "Don't worry about her. I'll talk to her and tell her to back off a little bit. She won't risk crossing me." Veronica tried to concentrate on Lilly's words, but the warmth that had started in her head had now extended throughout her body. "Oh shit," Lilly gasped. "That bitch Carmen is hurling into Madison's mom's bougainvillea. I seriously don't get what Tad sees in her. Lemme find someone to take care of that and then I'll get us a refill on the way back," Lilly cooed as he grabbed Veronica's empty cup and walked away. Veronica heard her call out "Oh, Lu-uke, I thought it was your job to keep the liquor coming..." in her sing-songy fashion, but Veronica didn't stay around to hear more.

She'd only taken a few steps before her feet began to feel like lead and her knees began to shake like leaves. The entire patio began to spin, and the contrast of the dark night mixed with the torch lighting, twinkle lights and the bright blue water of the pool caused her to collapse to her knees.

"Whoa, there. You need a hand?" Veronica looked up into the blue eyes of Dick Casablancas.  _No, no...last thing I need_ … _s_ he had to shut her eyes at the swirl of conflicting images and colors as strong arms picked her up and she floated, weightless for a moment before she crashed onto a soft surface.

Dick's blue eyes gave her a once over and then there was a flash of light. "Smile," he said, and the blinding light flashed again. He bellowed out something Veronica couldn't understand and suddenly there were more faces...more eyes looming over her and more flashes of light. Light blue eyes came suddenly into focus, and she smiled in relief.  _Conner. Knew you'd come._  Liquid sloshed against her lips and she instinctively opened her mouth and drank.

"I have to go home," she slurred.  _Conner will take me home._

"You are home," Conner's face said, but the voice wasn't his.

Another set of eyes appeared—brown eyes.  _Logan?_  His face was there, but, again, when he spoke the voice was wrong."And here's a hot foreign exchange student who's been living with your family. Now, I know you've had your eye on her and that's okay, it's perfectly natural."

Veronica tried to focus on the face in front of her, but the more she tried to concentrate on one thing, the more her focus seemed to slip away. Everything dulled into varying hues of grey.

_Scared!,_  was her last semi-coherent thought before she slipped away.

* * *

Logan stole a glance into the Sinclair's library and saw that Mac was still engrossed in conversation with Lauren.  _How is it that when 09er families get involved with anything, it turns complicated_ , he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. It hadn't been a good week for family issues. He decided that he should just be relieved that it didn't involve his family this time. Mac turned around and gave Logan a bright, dimpled smile and he felt relief wash over him. She seemed different, calmer than he'd seen her since she'd gotten the news.  _Maybe she can find a way to connect with Lauren and something good can come of all this._

Wallace joined him outside the library and they nodded in acknowledgement of each other.

"How's she doing?" Wallace asked, concerned.

"Better. She's in there with Madison's...well,  _her_  sister," Logan amended.

"So weird. When I was a kid I always thought rich people had it made...but lately...well, now I'm not so sure," Wallace grimaced.

"I know what you mean. It appears that everything has its price. I'd take my dad and our life over these parents any day. And, if my dad and your mom ever, ya know...let's just say I get top bunk," Logan gave his friend a quick jab in the chest.

"It would be kinda fun to introduce ourselves as brothers. I like making people wonder," Wallace laughed.

"So, have you seen Veronica? I've been so preoccupied with Mac that I haven't seen her in a while."

"I saw her down there talking to Lilly a few minutes ago while I flirted with Georgia. Struck out there, man." Wallace didn't seem all that concerned. He began to make virtual free-throws with an invisible ball.

"I'll go check on Veronica in a minute. She's probably pissed that we left her with Lilly so long; you know how Lilly can be." Logan turned to check on Mac one more time before he peeked down the hall for a moment.

"How can I be?" Lilly chimed playfully, emerging from the restroom at the end of the hall and stunning Logan momentarily.

_Where should I start?_  he mused.

"So, you were saying—I can be….what? Adorable, sexy...vivacious?" Her eyes went wide and she took a step toward him with each adjective.

"I was thinking more along the lines of conniving, impulsive, reckless and selfish, but po-tay-to po-tah-to," Logan deadpanned with a raise of his eyebrows.

Lilly ignored the jab. "So the whole gang is here, huh. Must be another riveting night of crime fighting for you guys. And now you've recruited Veronica, too. It must be nice to finally have an ambassador who can help you get into more refined circles. White-collar crime is where the real money is," Lilly said with a wink.

"Well, clearly you thwarted that plan by absconding with Veronica. Where is she, by the way?" Logan asked, trying his best to sound blasé.

"I haven't seen her in a while; I thought she was with you," Lilly responded, leaning around him to check inside the library.

Logan forced himself to keep his voice even. "No, like I said, I haven't seen her since she walked away with you," he insisted. "Mac!" he called into the library and she appeared immediately. "I'm going to go find Veronica. You can stay—"

"Who left her alone down there with Madison and her pack of wolves? I'm coming with you." Mac began jogging through the halls toward the backyard.

"You guys are crazy; she's totally fine. Madison is harmless; she's all talk—"

"You don't know shit, Lilly Kane," Wallace replied as he pushed past Lilly and Logan and chased after Mac.

Logan knew that Veronica could handle herself. He didn't think that Madison was capable of anything more than humiliation tactics. If something had happened, Veronica would have come to find him by now.  _Right?_

Logan checked the rooms as they passed them, but they were all empty. The noise from the party increased as he approached the backyard.  _This party has really livened up_ , he thought as he spied a group of people cheering near the pool.  _Oh boy, someone passed out already. It's hard to feel sorry for the first 09er to go down, even if he has to wake up with penises drawn in Sharpie all over his face._  Logan laughed as he searched the faces in the crowd for Veronica; he was excited to see who the unlucky person on the pool lounger was.

Mac was still in the lead, and she pushed her way through the crowd ahead of him. She let out an anguished cry and Logan watched as Wallace ran the last few feet to the center of the circle, grabbing random cell phones out of people's hands as he went. "Oh,  _hell_ no!" he called out as he threw the phones he'd collected into the pool and reached for some more.

Logan went cold and then hot all at once; his eyes actually saw red. In front of him, lying in a pool lounge chair, was Veronica. Sean and Dick were leaning over her, using her as a salt-lick.

Logan threw people out of his way left and right as he bowled the rest of the way through the crowd to reach Veronica's side. He picked up Sean Friedrich by the shirt and landed two punches straight to his face before he tossed him in the pool and turned to Dick.

"C'mon, man. It was just some harmless fun." Dick's words were brave, but he hastily backed away from Logan.

"Fun for who, you asshole?" Logan yelled as he bore down on the blonde surfer. "You know you used to be a real person, Dick. I used to like you before you became your girlfriend's little lapdog. You're pathetic!"

Dick threw his arms up in surrender and looked genuinely stunned.

"Delete it!" Logan screamed at Dick and then turned to face the crowd at large. "That's kind of a general demand. If you don't want the sheriff knocking on your parents' door in about ten minutes, I'd delete your phone's entire memory right now." Logan grabbed Dick's phone and slid it into his pocket and turned back to his friends.

"I think I got most of the phones," Wallace said as he pulled a phone out of Shelly's hand and smashed it onto the concrete.

"I can't wake her, Logan," Logan heard the fear in Mac's voice.

He crossed over to Veronica and shook her, a slight groan was all the response she gave.  _What do I do? Call 911? Call Dad?_ His mind raced as he instinctively moved to pick her up. She was limp in his arms and he began to walk faster. The crowd parted for him, all the cheers and fun of a few moments ago had dissolved into silence. He'd just cleared the ring of people when Lilly Kane stepped in front of him, looking stricken.

"What did you and your friends do, Lilly?" Logan roared as he strode purposefully past her.

"Logan!" Lilly gasped. "You can't think that I'd...I'd  _never_ let anyone—"

"Madison's all talk, huh? Harmless, you said? Open your eyes, Lilly. Veronica has never done  _anything_  to anyone at this party." Lilly had to jog to keep pace with Logan's long strides as he passed through Madison's house toward the front door.

Mac ran ahead and pulled the door open to let Logan through. "What's wrong with her, Logan? How much could she have had to drink?" she asked, her tone panicked.

Logan stopped dead in his tracks on the porch and turned to the one person there who had answers. "Well, now's your big chance for redemption, Lilly. How much did you let them pour down her throat?"

"I—I didn't. She had one drink with me. It was pretty full and she drank it super fast. That's all I know."

Logan spun on his heel and continued down the driveway. He paused momentarily at the sight of Veronica's car with 'SLUT' written across the windshield.  _Keep calm for Veronica. Just keep walking._

When he got to his SUV, Logan pressed the button on his key fob without even removing it from his pocket. He was on autopilot; nothing was going to stop him from getting Veronica away from that mess.  _She's been through enough!_

Lilly opened the passenger door of Logan's Xterra for him and stepped aside so that he could slip Veronica onto the seat. He reached into her pocket and threw the keys he found inside to Wallace. "Take her car and get it cleaned up before she sees it."

"You're okay?"

"Yeah, I got this. Just go. I don't want her to see it, man," he said sadly. Logan leaned forward, placing his face next to hers. "Veronica? Veronica, can you hear me. You've gotta wake up. What did you drink?"

"Logan, there's got to be more than alcohol in her system; I think we should take her to the hospital," Mac said, obviously fighting tears.

"Logan—" Lilly started, but he ignored her.

"I think you might be right, Mac, but I don't want to overreact. She's too in the public eye." Logan thought for a moment, "Conner's got some doctor that he calls. We could call him and see what he says. Conner's number's in my phone."

Mac slipped her hand into Logan's pocket, pulled out his phone and began to cycle through his contacts. Logan watched as Mac pushed a button and held the phone to her ear.

"Logan, listen to me," Lilly insisted.

"What? What could you possibly have to add to this conversation? What do you have to say that can't wait ten damn minutes?" Logan shouted.

"Sean, Dick and Luke got some Liquid X down in TJ last week. They said something about a rave, but they're all here tonight," Lilly said, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Holy shit. You and your friends are out of control!" Logan couldn't hold back the anger any longer. "How much did they give her? She's tiny; if they gave her more than one dose—"

"Stay here!" she ordered. "I'll find out; I'll be right back," she promised before she kicked off her heels and took off back to the house at a run.

"I gave Conner my number. He's calling me back after he speaks to the physician," Mac relayed.

"It's like the whole world has gone crazy," Logan whispered, pulling Veronica close. He felt Mac lean into him and pulled her close, too.

Logan wasn't sure how long he stayed that way, holding one despondent friend and his unconscious secret-girlfriend. He was fighting back tears himself when he heard the patter of feet approaching.

"Logan! I got Dick to spill; he says Madison had him put half of a dose into her drink. He swears he didn't know Madison was going to give it to Veronica." Logan started to interrupt but Lilly held up her hand, "I didn't trust him, so Duncan made them all hand it over." Lilly held out her hand to show him the three vials. Two of them were still full, but the third was about half empty.

"And you're sure that's all of it?" Logan took the drugs from her and dumped them out. No one else was going to get high or drugged tonight off those vials.

Logan was momentarily distracted by Mac's phone ringing; she answered it immediately. Lilly's voice pulled his attention back to her.

"I'm sure. They were too scared to lie. I told them she ODd. They only gave her a few shots, Logan. They thought maybe three. Duncan and Casey are checking everyone's phone before they leave. Well, the phones that aren't eight feet deep under water, that is," she smiled briefly.

Logan leaned Veronica's seat back so she wouldn't have to be slumped over and buckled her in before he turned back to Lilly. "Thank you, Lilly. Really...thank you."

"It's the least I can do. I really  _do_ like Veronica, Logan." Logan nodded at her and then ushered Mac around the car with him and opened the door for her to crawl into the backseat.

"Are you going to be okay in there, Lil?" he asked her from across the hood.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sober and fine. I'm going to get out of here for a while. I'm tired of the childishness; I need to clear my head. Besides, I think Duncan and Luke have got this covered. No one's gonna mess with anyone else tonight; they're all too terrified of you."

"That's the way I like it." Logan smiled lightly and climbed into his car.

"Can you really not wake her at all, Logan? He wants us to rub her sternum, hard," Mac said from the backseat.

Logan reached over and rubbed Veronica's chest with his knuckle and she moaned slightly and tried to move away from him. Mac relayed the information into the phone.

"The doctor said that the first two hours are critical. She needs to be watched closely. If she starts to gag or vomit, we need to call 911. Otherwise she should sleep it off," Mac spouted off quickly. She listened again and then said something that Logan couldn't hear into the phone and snapped it shut. "She'll need hydration when she wakes up. Conner expects a phone call from you in the morning," Mac said with a sigh.

_Great. Not that I expected any different, but I'm not looking forward to that conversation._ Logan looked down at his watch. It was barely 9:00 p.m., and she couldn't have taken the drugs more than twenty minutes before. "I'm taking her home and spending the night there. Cindy, do you need to be dropped at home or are you coming with me?" he asked, barely even aware that he'd slipped and called her Cindy like he'd done when they were little.

"I'm staying with you," Mac responded, not missing a beat. "Should we do a round robin? I'll call Wallace and tell him," Mac offered.

"Yeah, you can tell your parents the truth about staying at Veronica's. Wallace will have to think of something else now that our parents are in cahoots," he chuckled. "Ah, the joys of the blended family."

When Logan arrived at the Echolls estate, he saw that Wallace was already there waiting for them. Logan used the code Conner had given him, and Wallace followed him up the drive in Veronica's graffiti-free convertible. Wallace threw open the Xterra's passenger door before Logan had even taken off his seatbelt.

"The car was no sweat. The paint came right off. Just took a few minutes of elbow grease at Adam's Ave Car Wash." Wallace looked down at Veronica. "She's out cold! Is she okay? What happened? I was getting worried when I got here before you did."

Mac pulled Wallace into a hug, and Logan had to maneuver around them to get Veronica out of the car.

"My evil twin, Madison Sinclair, gave her a dose of GHB and had Dick and Sean feed her shots," Mac told him.

"You've got to be kidding me? What's up with you white-folk; can't you party like normal kids?" Wallace took Veronica's keys from Logan, opened her front door and flipped on the foyer light. "Are her parents home?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe just her mom. I'm going to put her to bed. I'll be back in a minute to point you guys to the guest rooms," Logan readjusted Veronica in his arms so that he could see the stairs better as he walked up them.

He laid Veronica gently on top of the covers and knelt down beside the bed to look at her again. He lightly brushed the hair out of her eyes and kissed her forehead before turning her onto her side just in case she got sick while he was gone. He was surprised to see Mac and Wallace standing at the foot of her bed when he moved up to standing.

"Enjoy the show, guys?" he snarked.

"I'd enjoy it more if she was conscious," Wallace countered as Mac moved around the boys to take Veronica's laptop off her desk.

"I think she'll be okay, but I'm going to do some research on GHB to make sure we're in the clear," she said. "Which room is mine?"

"I'm staying in here with her tonight. There are two guest rooms across the way for you guys," Logan pointed in their general direction. "There's a bathroom at the end of the hall if there aren't any attached to the rooms."

"Have you both lost your mind? 09ers are crazy; none of us is spending the night alone in this house. Mac, you're bunking with me." Wallace's tone was light but Logan could tell that he was serious about not sleeping alone. Whether it was for Mac's benefit or his own, Logan wasn't sure.

"Sure, man, whatever you want. I'm gonna go call my dad." With that, Logan practically pushed them out the door and into the hallway.

"Oh, no need. When I called my mom the two of them were together, so I had to think fast. You and I, brother, are spending the night at Norman's house again."

"Norman's a complete tool, Wallace," Logan teased. "You're gonna ruin my street cred."

"Street cred's got nothin' to do with it. Norman may be boring, but he's an Eagle Scout and my mother loves him!" Wallace insisted.

"You guys and your imaginary friend," Mac smiled up at them both before disappearing into the guest room. "Call us if you need us, Logan," she called from out of sight.

Wallace nodded in solidarity and followed after her.

Logan checked on Veronica one last time before he ran downstairs to get her a Gatorade. She was sure to feel like death warmed over in the morning, and if she woke up during the night he would try to keep her hydrated.

When he returned to Veronica's room, she was in the same position he'd left her in. It made him nervous, but he knew she just needed to sleep it off. Mac would tell him if she found anything worrisome in her research.

Logan walked over and hunted through Veronica's drawers for something comfortable to put on her. The first thing he pulled out was a well-worn, oversized Conner Larkin fanclub shirt with a picture of Conner's face winking at him. He couldn't help but laugh. He knew that Conner and Veronica probably got a kick out of it, but he sure as hell wasn't going to wake up to Conner's face in the bed next to him. Logan stuffed the shirt back into the drawer and pulled out loose tank top before he crossed back over to the bed.

"All right, beautiful, this scenario isn't exactly what I had in mind when I imagined undressing you tonight," he said sadly, then rolled her onto her back. He pulled her to sitting and carefully removed her party shirt, which reeked of alcohol. Disgusted at the turn of events this evening, Logan tossed her soiled shirt toward the hamper in the corner and unhooked her bra with his free hand. He had to lay her back down to get the tank top on her, and then pull her back up against him so that he could peel the covers back. Logan shimmied her skirt off of her and then pulled the covers up over her. Veronica didn't move in any way or even stir at all. He didn't like it. She was so small and harmless. He didn't understand what it was about her that attracted such malice in those around her, while all he wanted to do was protect her.  _How does she inspire such polarizing intensity from people?_

By the time he got her tucked in, Logan was furious at Madison and everyone else, even himself, all over again. Logan settled Veronica onto her side and walked to the bathroom to splash some water on his face and give himself a moment to cool down. When his emotions were back in check, Logan crossed back to the other side of her bed and shrugged off his clothes. Down to only his boxers, he slipped into the bed and scooted to the middle, pulling her back against him. The need to keep her close was almost overwhelming.

He wasn't looking forward to explaining all this to her in the morning. "You'll be okay," he said, knowing that it was himself that he was trying to assure. "Goodnight, Veronica," he whispered into her hair as he kissed the top of her head. He settled in, knowing that it was going to be a long night. He wasn't going to fall asleep any time soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are overwhelmed by the positive feedback we have received for this story. Thank you all so very much for continuing to read this story daily. We appreciate it more than we can say. We hope that you continue to enjoy this story as much as we have these past few months.
> 
> Having said that, we are very concerned with a few comments we have received and would like to discuss for a moment the nature of abuse.
> 
> Abuse comes in many forms: physical, sexual, emotional, and neglect (both physical and emotional). Over 6 million cases are reported a year in the United States alone. In 2012, over 686,000 victims of clear-cut abuse were documented (enough to fill 10 football stadiums!). Unfortunately that number is probably just the tip of the iceberg. It is estimated that between 4 and 7 children lose their lives EVERY DAY due to child abuse and neglect. That statistic is staggering to us.
> 
> Abuse is absolutely NOT gender specific. We are bothered by statements intimating that Veronica wouldn’t have been abused because she is a girl or because Trina wasn’t abused. According to American Humane Association, Boys and girls are equally likely to suffer maltreatment. In 2005 (which is very close to the timeframe we are working with in this story), 47.3 percent of child victims were male, and 50.7 percent were female. Victimization rates were highest among the youngest population of children, birth to 3 years, at a rate of 16.5 per 1,000 children (USDHHS, 2007).
> 
> In 2005, 49.7 percent of children who were maltreated were white, 23.1 percent were African American, and 17.4 percent were Hispanic. American Indians and Alaska Natives accounted for 1.2 percent of victims, and Asian-Pacific Islanders accounted for less than 1 percent of victims (USDHHS, 2007).
> 
> The husband of one of the authors was the victim of domestic physical abuse from a very young age…not his sibling or his mother…just him. And it was never reported. All too often one child is singled out for no reason in particular.
> 
> We are always open to suggestions regarding how to make our stories better. That’s why we are here – to learn and grow in our hobby and share our ideas with the fandom. 
> 
> This message is meant to be informational, and we did not intend to appear defensive as to our position for a fictional story. We did, however, want to make people aware that Veronica being beaten by Aaron is not unlikely. We, as authors, are confident in our decision—we believe that someone who could murder Lilly, attempt to murder Veronica and beat Logan, would have no qualms about beating Veronica if she were his child. Maybe Trina was one of the lucky ones.
> 
> TL;DR: Child abuse is all too common and comes in a variety of forms. For more information on child abuse please visit Childrenhelp.org or americanhumane.org. If you or someone you know is the victim of abuse, please tell someone.


	6. On the sixth day of Christmas, my new friends gave to me...six hours of fun and a night lacking debauchery

**Chapter 6: On the sixth day of Christmas, my new friends gave to me...six hours of fun and a night lacking debauchery**

* * *

**Friday, December 17th**

Logan woke up to the smell of Promises and Veronica's shampoo. It wasn't an unfamiliar sensation. He often dreamed about her and woke up thinking of her scent. He kept his eyes closed and took a deep breath, and his head filled with Veronica's scent again. But this time felt different; it felt real.

His eyes snapped open as his arms instinctively tightened around Veronica, who was draped across his chest, snoring soundly.  _She's okay,_  he smiled at the realization. He'd thought that she would be, but it wasn't until this exact moment that he knew for sure. He reached out to grab his phone off of the bedside table and saw that it was 8:30 a.m. It had been a long night. He'd been too nervous to sleep well. He had woken up every thirty minutes or so to check up on her until around 5:00 a.m. when he'd let himself fall asleep until now. He saw some texts from Conner, but he was too tired to write him back right now. Logan kissed top of her head and closed his eyes again.

This wasn't how he was supposed to wake up with Veronica for the first time. His anger started to build again and he cuddled her close, trying to keep in mind that he should be grateful that she was all right. But that wasn't enough. Someone was going to pay. Madison had gone too far this time; all the 09ers had.

A light knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts of revenge. He smiled when Mac poked her head through the door. He knew that he should be embarrassed to be found lying in bed, wrapped in Veronica, but he wasn't.

"Hey," she said softly as she approached the bed and sat down next to him. "How'd you guys do last night?"

"Well, I didn't get much sleep, but she's going to be okay," Logan replied, gently running his fingers through Veronica's hair as he spoke. "You?"

"While I am not pro-09er right now, I have to admit that the I did enjoy the luxurious bed. It's so big that I barely even noticed Wallace was there with me," Mac grinned. "I may never be able to sleep on anything less than 900 thread count Egyptian cotton again."

"I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you, Mac. It's back to reality tonight. But it's nice to know the night wasn't a complete failure," Logan tried to joke a little.

"Not the whole night. It just started and ended badly; the middle was fine. I got to meet my sister  _and_  I got Conner Larkin's phone number," she replied. "It wouldn't be bad at all it if hadn't been for…" Mac trailed off, looking at Veronica.

"Yeah, I know. So, you guys hungry?" Logan decided to change the subject.

"Starving! That's why I came in. Wallace said he'd go pick up something for us."

"I don't think you'll need to. Especially if Mrs. Echolls is home. Weevil's grandma is here Saturdays."

Mac looked at him skeptically. "Weevil's grandma? They have a cook?"

"I'm not sure about the title, but she was here last weekend and she made me food. Gimme a minute and I'll meet you downstairs," Logan said as he carefully tried to slide out from under Veronica's sleeping form.

Logan stood up and stretched. His muscles were sore from the tension he'd felt most of the night worrying about Veronica. He looked down at his cell phone, and what had been a few texts from Conner at 8:30 a.m. were now ten texts.  _Time to face the music, Mars._

Logan walked out onto the balcony and dialed Conner's number.

" _Is she okay? What's happening? What the hell took you so long!?"_ Conner yelled over the line.

Logan rubbed his hand down his face, "Veronica's fine. She's still sleeping. We were sleeping."

" _Oh. Well, I was worried."_ Logan could hear Conner sigh heavily.

"I'm sorry. Of course you were. I should have called sooner."  _This is starting out great._

" _Just tell me what happened. All I got out of Mac was that Veronica had taken something. Aaron's still here in LA, so I don't understand why she would do that. I warned her what I would do if she didn't knock this shit off."_  Conner was clearly distressed.

"Right, Veronica mentioned you threatening rehab. But no, it wasn't like that at all. We went to this party last night, you remember Madison?"

" _Yeah. The bitch with the bad dye job who set Veronica up. Hard to forget."_

"Well, apparently since her original plan didn't accomplish whatever she is trying to do, she decided to try again. Madison gave Veronica a half-dose of GHB and then had people doing body shots off of her and taking pictures." Logan rushed to just get it all out and heard a hiss from Conner.

" _Fuck...fuck!"_  Conner said more loudly.

"I know, but it's okay. We got all the pictures, no one left that party with any pictures of her on their phone. And most of the phones ended up in the swimming pool. So, other than the fact that when she wakes up she is going to feel like shit and be hurt that they did this to her, I think she'll be all right...at least as far as Aaron finding out."

" _Okay. Okay. That was good getting rid of the phones_." It sounded like Conner was pacing, " _But how could you let that happen? You were supposed to be with her."_

Logan's heart sank, he felt responsible, and hearing Conner verbalize it tightened his throat. "I know," he said hoarsely. "She was with Lilly; I thought she was fine. But we all failed her. When she wakes up she's going to be furious with me."

" _No, she's going to be furious with Madison. Veronica is unbelievably forgiving."_

"I guess my invite to  _Christmas Crossfire_  has been revoked," Logan said sadly.

" _Not yet. If Veronica still wants you there, then so do I. I'm not really mad at you, Logan. I'm just furious anyone would do that to her. I just don't get it; why does this Madison chick dislike her so much?"_ Conner asked.

"I'm not sure, man. Madison has always been a bitch, but this is really extreme—not to mention a crime. I'm hoping I can convince Veronica to get my dad involved."

"Get your dad involved in what?" Veronica's groggy voice accompanied the opening of the balcony doors.

" _Is that Veronica?_ " "Is that Conner?" They asked simultaneously.

"Yeah," he answered them both.

" _You'd better fill her in. Tell her to call me later,"_  Conner said, ending the call.

"Hey," Logan said, stepping closer to Veronica. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit. What happened? I only remember having one drink, but I feel like I downed a whole bottle of vodka."

"Well, you had one drink for sure and we think two or maybe three shots. And half a dose of GHB," Logan said, gently rubbing her back, the cool breeze sending a chill up his back.

"GHB. Liquid X? No way. I wouldn't take that. Aaron drug tests me sometimes, I don't take anything except the pain killers."

"Babe, you didn't take it. It was in your drink." Logan pushed stray hairs behind her ear and wrapped his other arm around her waist, "Madison put it in your drink."

Veronica pulled out of his arms, "What!? She drugged me? What the hell!" she yelled then gripped her head.

Logan guided her back into the bedroom, settled her on the bed and handed her the Gatorade from the nightstand. "I think you should file a report with my dad about what happened."

"What happened, Logan?"

Logan let himself fall back on the bed.  _This is going to be one very unpleasant conversation._

* * *

Mac dragged herself down the stairs and headed toward the foyer. Everything the night before had been such a blur that she wasn't entirely certain she knew where the kitchen was. She chose to try going right first, hoping she'd come across it. As she crossed the foyer, she heard humming coming from her left. Mac followed the sound down a long hall covered with Aaron Echolls movie posters and she found herself standing in an open kitchen and family type room with a view of the backyard and pool.

" _Buenos días_ ," a friendly voice called. "Can I get you anything?"

Mac turned and found herself face-to-face with a smiling Mrs. Navarro. "Um...Logan said that you might have some breakfast stuff already set out."

"Oh, Mr. Logan is here, too? Yes, I already set out some fruit and pastries and there's coffee already made if you'd like some." Mrs. Navarro indicated the full coffee service set out on the breakfast table.

Mac didn't need to be told twice.

A few minutes later, Wallace joined her at the table and filled a plate with croissants and éclairs.

"Wallace, at least get some fruit," Mac scolded.

"Girl, I need to carb load. I'm supposed to run a 5k today," Wallace mumbled around a mouth full of french pastry.

"Ugh, carb loading is not a real thing. You need to eat a balance of carbs, protein and fat if you want your run to actually help you build muscle and stamina," Mac sighed; this wasn't the first time they'd had this discussion.

"Anyway, if it were up to you, you'd have me eating sprouts and carrots or some other bunny food," Wallace teased.

"Non-animal proteins are the future. What you should really be eating are crickets." Mac winked, playing her part in their little banter.

"You are so gross. Crickets? What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing. I'm healthy, and I bet I can outrun you on that 5k," Mac challenged.

"Is that so? And what would you like to wager?" Wallace asked, stuffing half a croissant in his mouth.

"Um...pride?"

"Nope, needs to be something worthy." Wallace got a thoughtful expression, "I'm thinking it needs to involve you wearing a dress."

Mac cringed, "And what would you have to do?"

"I'll be a tree-hugging herbivore for a week!" Wallace said excitedly.

Mac grinned and held out her hand, "You've got yourself a deal."

* * *

Logan headed down the stairs and detoured into the sitting room, where he saw Lynn Echolls staring at a cart of alcohol-filled crystal decanters.

"Mrs. Echolls? Can we talk for a minute?" Logan asked.

Lynn looked up at him and stepped away from the cart, "Of course Logan, and call me Lynn." She smoothed down her blazer and laughed nervously.

"Are you okay Mrs—Lynn?" Logan asked, eyeing the cart.

"Oh, well, no not really, but I'm doing better everyday," she smiled tightly. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"I'm going to need you to make sure Aaron doesn't drug test her for the next forty-eight hours. You remember our agreement?"

"Yes, and I should be able to make sure that doesn't happen. He doesn't test her unless he's suspicious. Veronica and I are headed up tonight for fittings. You all are going up, too?"

"Yes, Wallace and I will head up first thing tomorrow morning, for sure. Hopefully Mac can come, too."

"I'll tell Aaron she's coming up with you kids tomorrow, if I see him at all, that is. We lead...different lives. He usually can't be bothered to keep up with her schedule."

Logan was distracted by the sound of high heels clacking on the marble tile floor.

"Oh Lynn, you know Daddy. He isn't a details sort of guy." A tall, auburn haired woman walked up to them. "Oh my, who's this? I guess Daddy isn't the only one who likes 'em young."

Lynn sighed heavily, "Trina, this is Logan Mars, one of Veronica's new friends here in Neptune. Logan, this is Veronica's sister from Aaron's previous marriage. And, Trina, while I am fully aware of your father's preferences, I can assure you mine do not involve high school age boys."

"You're a friend of Veronica's, huh?" Trina asked, running a hand down Logan's arm, "Maybe we can be friends, too. I promise I'm much more fun than she is."

Logan rolled his eyes; hit on, yet again.  _What is the deal? There really is such a thing a too much attention._

* * *

Veronica's headache had finally started to subside somewhere between the just-warm shower and the handful of aspirin Mac had assured her was the best and safest option. Her friends were still trying to talk her into pressing charges against Madison, which meant she'd need to get down to the sheriff's office soon to have a urine sample collected.

Veronica sighed, she really didn't want to report this. There was no way that word of it wouldn't be leaked to the press. But she didn't want Madison to get away with it either. It was a no-win scenario. But  _I don't believe in the no-win scenario...great now I'm quoting Kirk in my head...and discussing it with myself_. Veronica shuffled down the stairs.

"Maybe we can be friends, too, I promise I'm much more fun than she is," a familiar voice drifted down the hall.

_Just great, and now Trina is here. Can my day get any worse?_

"Hi, Sis. Look at you already hitting on underage boys," Veronica said snidely.

"Oh, little sister, it's always a pleasure." Trina bared her teeth in a parody of a smile.

"What are you doing here, Trina?" Lynn asked.

"I'm home for Christmas, of course. I thought I'd help decorate the tree, maybe deck the halls. You know, the usual," Trina said, still standing too close to an incredibly uncomfortable-looking Logan.

"Bull–"

"Language, darling." Lynn smiled. "Logan, would you be a dear and give us a moment so that Veronica and I can catch up with Trina?" Lynn asked him sweetly.

"Gladly. I'll just go keep Wallace and Mac entertained." Logan stepped around Trina and kissed Veronica on the temple. Veronica tensed and looked at Logan whose eyes had gone wide in surprise. 'Sorry,' he mouthed silently and quickly exited the room.

"Goodness, I have missed a lot, haven't I? I thought you and Conner were still hot and heavy. Though I've heard some rumors…"

"Enough, Trina. Tell us why you're really here a week early," Lynn said, placing an arm around Veronica's shoulders.

"Well, I got in from New York late last night. I thought I'd spend a little time at the beach house with Daddy, but when I got there he was entertaining some little blonde thing. Even I don't like having to hear his extracurricular activities, so I stayed with a friend last night and drove straight here this morning," Trina explained, more subdued than before.

Veronica was shocked. Trina had always been Aaron's favorite, and she couldn't remember Trina ever saying anything bad about him. "Is your precious  _Daddy_  not living up to the pedestal?"

"It hurts me, too, when he does this."

Veronica was ready to blow, "I'll just bet it  _hurts_  you—"

"Veronica, why don't you go check on your friends, and I'll help Trina get settled in upstairs," Lynn offered.

"Fine. As long as I don't have to look at her anymore," Veronica sneered and stomped to the kitchen.

Veronica entered the kitchen to see Logan, Mac and Wallace all sitting around the breakfast table. Without pause, Veronica crawled straight into Logan's lap and buried her face in his neck, breathing in his scent hoping it would calm her.

Logan's arms wrapped around her and held her tight, "So, your sister seems…"

"Like a bitch, yup," Veronica said harshly.

"I was going to say forward, but bitch works, too." Wallace and Mac chuckled nervously at Logan's comment.

"I really hate her sometimes," Veronica whispered into Logan's neck. She took one last deep breath before straightening up, though she stayed in Logan's lap. "Okay, time to talk about something more fun. Have you all thought about Conner's offer? I'd really like it if you could all come up for the premiere. I'd love to get us all out of Neptune for a little while. It's going to be a lot of fanfare, and on Sunday we can all hangout and do something fun far, far away from the toxic 09ers. I really never thought I'd miss the bitches at my old school."

"My mom said it was fine since Logan's dad was okay with it," Wallace said.

"I haven't asked yet, but I'm not sure if my parents'll go for it." Mac shrugged.

"Well, I'll need to get you home soon," Logan told Mac. Veronica couldn't help but sulk at the prospect. He kissed her pouty lips and then turned back to Mac. "We can ask your parents together when I drop you off."

"If you need my mom to call them or something, let me know. She's good at the schmooze," Veronica smiled at Mac. "Ask them, okay? I want you to come. Plus, you wanted to meet Conner...now's your big chance. And he has a fabulous jacuzzi...you could test out that painted-on ab theory of Logan's..." Veronica let the sentence trail so that Mac could let the idea marinate for a while.

"You've convinced me," Mac responded after a few seconds. "I'll ask them...for research purposes, of course," Mac blushed as she responded.

"Of course!" Wallace gave Mac a playful slug to the shoulder. "So," Wallace rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Let's move on to the important stuff. Who's Conner's love interest in this flick o' holiday fun?"

* * *

"I don't like it. I just don't like the whole idea, Sam. She's still only sixteen; she's in high school!" Mac pulled Logan over to the door so they could hear her parents arguing about the upcoming weekend. She put a finger to her lips to quiet Logan and then she cracked the door open so that they could hear better.

"This is Cindy we're talking about here. She is an amazing kid…she's doing great in school…she's got good friends. They're all going together. It'll be fine, Nat."

"But we aren't talking about Neptune, Sam. This is Los Angeles; a whole world our little girl knows nothing about."

Mac couldn't help but scoff at that.

"It's Conner Larkin, honey.  _Conner Larkin,"_ her father insisted, as if the actor was the answer to all of life's problems. Mac watched Logan smirk.

"Exactly my point. He's  _older_ ; he's more experienced. And those after-parties where God-knows-what goes on."

"Cindy wouldn't get mixed up with any of that. I'll talk to Logan; he'll keep an eye on her. But, honey, just think about it.  _Our daughter_  a weekend…with  _Conner Larkin_. That's, like,  _huge._  How many people can say they went to a Conner Larkin premiere  _with_  Conner Larkin?"

"Sounds like someone is living vicariously through his daughter," her mom laughed at that.

"You bet your ass I am. Hell, I'd go myself if I were invited."

Mac shook her head at Logan and gave him a look that she hoped said 'don't you dare invite him'.

"I don't like it," Natalie persisted, causing Mac roll her eyes.

"I'll talk to Logan," he reminded her.

"Talk to the Pope if you want to, or better yet, call Conner Larkin himself; she's not going."

Mac could practically hear her father light up at the prospect. "You know, that's the best idea yet. Let's call Conner. I'll put the fear of God into him and everything will be fine.  _Cindy!"_  he yelled her name down the hallway.

"I guess that's my cue," Mac pulled Logan into the kitchen with her. "I'm not going through this alone," she said at Logan's surprised expression.

"Oh, Logan, I forgot you were here. Good. Cindy, your mom and I feel that for you to go to LA this weekend, we'll have to talk to Conner first," her father announced, the picture of a concerned parent.

"What?" her mom gaped at him. "I didn't agr—"

"No way, Dad. You can't embarrass me like that. Veronica's parents don't care. Veronica's parents let her go up there all the time," Mac insisted.

"I'm sure there's a lot of things Veronica's parents do that we don't, Cindy," Natalie droned.

"Logan, can you please reassure Natalie, here, that Conner is a gentleman and wouldn't let Cindy get into any trouble?" Sam begged.

"Conner is a responsible, level-headed guy. He's not a Hollywood partier. He's very focused on his career. But, I have to warn you, even at the risk of breaking your heart, that I think his abs are painted on," Logan said seriously. Mac couldn't believe Logan had managed to keep a straight face.

"Not possible," her father began. Mac couldn't take any more of this.

"Fine, Dad. I'll give you his number if you promise to tell him about your Conner Larkin beer cozy," Mac challenged.

"Very funny," Sam said. "Hand over your phone." He held his hand out expectantly.

Mac almost laughed at the sight of her father, so excited and yet trying to maintain parental authority. "Nice cover, Dad. Are you sure this is a good idea? You know what they say about meeting your idol," Mac laughed up at him.

"He's not my idol. I happen to like action movies, and he's in the best ones." Even Logan laughed at that.

Mac relented, "Fine, I'll call Conner and put him on speakerphone. But if you go all fangirl on him, I'm taking the phone and running." She retrieved her phone from her room and pulled up Conner's number.

* * *

Veronica groaned as her mother turned around the last bend and Conner's house came into view. He had warned her, but she had still hoped it wouldn't be true. There were photographers outside his security gate. Just a few, but that was enough. Veronica's head was still pounding from Madison's GHB cocktail, despite the regular doses of aspirin. The thought of playing to the cameras made her more nauseated than the car ride had.

_Why, oh, why?_  her mind screamed.  _We keep ourselves squeaky clean in public so we don't have to deal with this shit!_   _Or do we?_ Veronica prayed, not for the first time that day, that no mention of last night had been leaked to the press. Not only would it be devastating for her reputation, but Conner didn't need that drama right now, either. And the thought of her father finding out... _Well, I wouldn't have to worry about Madison anymore,_  she thought.  _I'd be out of Neptune before Aaron could say 'boarding school'._

"Mom, I don't think I can do this today," Veronica whined, pulling the Dodgers cap she wore down farther on her face and placing a protective hand strategically on the side of her face.

"I'm afraid that you don't have much choice, darling. Not only does your father potentially have…a  _guest_ , but Logan made me promise to keep you away from him as much as possible." Without even looking at her, Veronica could tell that her mother was smiling to keep up appearances for their audience. "I, for one, am not interested in a little visit from Balboa County's finest this weekend." Her mother's words were tense, but Veronica relaxed a little when she felt her mom's hand take hers.

"Showtime!" Veronica murmured as her mom stopped the car in front of Conner's garage. They were in full view of the gate, but there wasn't much anyone could do about that. Conner appeared in his doorway immediately, and Veronica let out a sob of happiness at the sight of him. She needed this; she needed Conner. She hopped out of the car and ran to him, throwing herself into his arms as he twirled her around in a tight hug.

"Missed you!" he said fiercely, not a trace of mendacity in his tone. That's what Veronica loved about him most. While their romance was a farce, their relationship was not. He lifted her off of her feet and spun her around once more, never once loosening their embrace. Veronica didn't even try to hold back her tears. The sunglasses and cap would hide what little the camera's could see, but at that moment, she didn't even care; they were tears of joy.

"Let's get you two inside," he said, setting Veronica down to fold her under one arm protectively. "Lynn, it's nice to see you. Are you staying for lunch?" Veronica stayed clamped to Conner's side as he gave her mother a quick one-armed hug and then took Veronica's overnight bag out of Lynn's hand. He slung the bag over his shoulder and moved toward the door.

"Actually, I'm not staying at all," Lynn stated, much to Veronica's surprise. She didn't think her mom was in a hurry to see Aaron. "I've got a fitting this afternoon...as does Veronica," Lynn said pointedly.

"She'll be there," Conner assured Lynn.

Veronica moaned. A dress fitting while nursing the worst hangover of her life sounded like utter hell. "I won't forget, Mom. You said that you had them set some things aside for me?"

"Yes, I did. Try to be gracious. If I were you, I'd go for the Azrouël. He's a great designer, and it would look amazing on you," Veronica leaned in as her mom gave her a tight hug. "Stay out of trouble," her mom warned in her ear. "This is a critical time for all of us."

"When isn't it a critical time, Mom? The minute we're done with one promotional endeavor, another one seems to pop right up and require a black-tie affaire," Veronica didn't love the cynicism in her own voice, but she was tired of having no control over her own life.

"Well, on that note, I'll see you two lovelies tomorrow," Lynn said tersely before she returned to her car.

"That was a little harsh, V," Conner's statement was given as a fact, but she heard no judgement in his tone.

"It's been a long few weeks, Conner," Veronica sighed as Conner shut the door behind them, blocking out the outside world. She made her way directly to his couch and laid down, tossing off her cap and sunglasses and pulling a throw pillow over her face to block out the sun.

Conner mercifully closed the blinds before he sat down next to her and began massaging her scalp. "Do you want to tell me now, or should we wait until tonight?" he asked. She didn't need to ask him what he was talking about.

"There isn't much to tell, I'm afraid. I'm sure that Logan could tell you more than I can. I was talking to Lilly and drinking a rum and coke—"

"That you took from Madison?!" he asked, his tone incredulous.

_This is the part I was hoping to avoid._  "I actually don't really know how I got it. I was walking through a crowd...people were passing out drinks, and I took one—"

"Veronica, holy shit. Have years of after parties and clubs taught you nothing?"

"Don't yell at me, Conner. My head hurts, and I'm well aware of my idiocy," she grumbled. "As I was  _saying_ , I finished my drink and then walked away from Lilly...everything gets a little hazy after that. But, the next thing I knew, I was waking up in my bed draped across none other than Logan Mars."

"He better not have—" Conner stopped rubbing her scalp.

"He didn't. Narcolepsy isn't his thing," Veronica smiled and moved the pillow to squint up at Conner.

"Good! And I take it from your expression that things are moving along well as far as you and the sheriff's son are concerned?" Conner smirked down at her, obviously impatient for the good gossip.

"Well, I must admit that...while second base was heavenly,  _third_ —"

"Yes!" Conner whooped and raised his arms above his head as if he'd won the Boston Marathon.

"Why are  _you_  cheering?" she asked, trying unsuccessfully to appear annoyed.

"I knew it. I am an expert at men. Admit it," he demanded playfully, standing up and jumping once before spinning around and pointing at her. "Admit that I picked out the perfect guy for you."

"Are you high, Larkin?"

Conner sobered instantly. "That's not funny!"

"It's a  _little_  funny…" she teased hopefully.

"A  _very_  little," he gave her.

"What are you taking credit for?  _I_  met him... _I_  saved his friend's ass from second degree tape burns, literally I might add... _I_  talked with him on the beach…"

"Fine, fine—you did all that. But,  _I_ , pseudo-boyfriend extraordinaire, knew he was the one. And anyway, who taught you about the many and varied uses of baby oil?" Veronica could tell that Conner wasn't going to let this go.

"Yes! Yes, Conner Larkin,  _you_  can take all the credit!" she laughed and threw the pillow she'd been holding at him.

"Thank you!" he bent down to kiss her chastely on the lips. "I need to make a phone call, and you, babygirl, have forty minutes to rest before we have to leave for your fitting. I'll wake you in thirty-five," he said before he put the pillow back over her eyes. Veronica listened to the sound of his footsteps retreating out of the room settled in for a quick nap.

* * *

When Lynn pulled into the drive at the beach house, she saw an unfamiliar silver Mercedes SUV parked in her usual spot. She had left Aaron a message saying she was on her way up but hadn't heard back from him.

Parking next to the SUV, Lynn grabbed her small overnight bag and headed for the door. Just as she reached for the knob, the door pulled open revealing a young blonde who looked familiar. Lynn raised an eyebrow at the girl, waiting for an explanation.

"Mrs. Echolls, I–um...I was looking for Veronica," she sputtered, then rolled her shoulders back and stood up straight, confidence obviously setting in. "Is she with you? I came up to shop, and since she had mentioned being here for the weekend, I thought I'd stop by and say hi."

"That must make you Lilly Kane." Lynn smiled softly, though she didn't believe Lilly's story for a moment; her rumpled clothes and mussed hair revealed the true reason for her presence. "Let me give you a piece of advice, Lilly. My husband is a capricious man, and you are very young. I would hate to see you get hurt." Lynn gently squeezed Lilly's hand, "If you want to see Veronica, why don't you give her a call?"

"Are you going to tell her?" Lilly asked, her confident expression had drained away.

"I don't think that's necessary. She's had a rough few days, and there's no reason to add to that," Lynn replied, stepping past Lilly and entering the house.

"Thank you. I'll just go. Um...I'm sorry. Really." Lynn stood in the doorway and watched until Lilly's tail lights disappeared down the street.

* * *

**Saturday, December 18th**

Veronica jumped with joy when she heard the buzz of the security gate's intercom.  _They're here!_  She skipped down toward the front door of the house only to see Conner approaching from the kitchen. She knew instinctively that he was trying to beat her to the door to welcome them. Conner had been very intrigued about her new friends ever since Mac's dad had called him the day before. He'd talked about it non-stop through dinner the night before.  _Oh no you don't,_  Veronica increased her pace until she and Conner were both at a full run. They arrived at the door at the same time; Veronica grabbed hold of the knob first, but Conner easily lifted her away and set her behind him and opened the door. She squealed in protest, but he just laughed over his shoulder at her and stepped onto the porch.

"Brawn always beats brains, Echolls. Remember that!" He winked playfully as he took her hand and led her outside. "Remember," he warned before she could approach the car. "No clinging to your boy toy until we are safely in the house and far away from prying eyes."

"Logan and I have been holding it together in public just fine, thank you," she responded with a sigh.  _Well, mostly_ ,she amended silently,  _but he doesn't need to know about that_. "I've been playing to the cameras since I was a week old, Conner; I get the stakes."

Veronica forced herself to stay put as her friends parked and got out of the car. She purposefully didn't look at Logan for more than a moment, hugging Wallace first. She could tell that he was slightly taken aback by the gesture, but it didn't bother her. This was all new to him; the world of being pawns in a game with no rules.

She watched as Conner pulled Logan in for a fraternal hug and winked at her over Logan's shoulder. 'Jerk' she mouthed with a smile and then hugged Mac and Logan at the same time.  _There, take that, cameras!_

Mac, Wallace and Logan got their bags out of the trunk of Mac's little car, and she saw Logan take Mac's from her. "Mac are you limping?" Veronica asked, concerned. She went over to Mac and put an arm around her friend's waist.

"Oh, don't worry about Bunny Hugger over there. She's just a little sore!" Wallace piped up, his grin wide. "She thought it was a good idea to challenge the master. She was wrong, and she lost." Wallace pumped one fist into the air victoriously.

"I didn't so much lose as have to stop because of a cramp," Mac loudly told the group. "Wallace exaggerates. I was ahead until—"

"Until she pooped out," Wallace cut in. "Must have been all that soy protein. Don't worry, V, it's nothing a juicy steak won't solve." Wallace reached over to high-five Logan and all three boys laughed. "Oh, Veronica, I know your boy Conner said he'd hook Logan and me up with suits for tonight, but I hope you have something in mind for Mac. A dress! A girly dress. Something pink, lacy...maybe puffed sleeves."

"Puffed sleeves?" Veronica cringed. "I think we can do better than that," she assured Mac.

"Wallace here is so smug. What he doesn't know is that I wanted to wear a dress tonight," Mac whispered in her ear. "Now I can do so without them giving me shit about wanting to look pretty for a Hollywood premiere."

"You are brilliant, Mackenzie. Beat them at their own game is my motto. We'll have Wallace eating his words at the sight of you," Veronica whispered back as they all made their way into the house. Louder she said, "Well, someone is coming to do my hair at 2:30 p.m., so that leaves us just enough time to go to my final fitting and find you something fabulous."

When they were all safely in the house, Logan did a quick about-face, dropping his bag in the hallway to scoop her up into a hug. He began to back her into the wall when Veronica heard a throat clear from behind her. She turned to see Conner smirking at her and Wallace and Mac shaking their heads as they walked away.

"You've got all weekend to make out. The least you can do is formally introduce me to your friends," Conner protested.

Veronica felt terrible. She knew what this moment must mean to Mac, who was blushing a deep shade of scarlet. Veronica gave Logan a quick peck on the lips and shot him an apologetic look.

"Mac and Wallace, this is Conner. Conner - this is Wallace Fennel and Cindy Mackenzie, aka Mac." Veronica smiled and took Logan's hand in hers. She was so glad that they could have this time together. She felt like she owed it to her new friends to show them a good time after all the trouble she'd caused since her arrival in Neptune.

"Wallace, I hear you're a star basketball player. I've got a court here. Some of my friends like to play pickup games from time to time if you're ever free," Conner stated, shaking Wallace's hand.

"That—that would be...great," Wallace stammered. Conner then turned to Mac.

"Miss Mackenzie—" he began.

"Just Mac. We spoke on the phone Thursday night," she reminded him.

"So we did. And again yesterday. I have to say your father was terrifying. I really did think he was serious when he said he would hunt me down if you ended up in a ditch somewhere," Conner laughed.

"He was just compensating. I assure you he's harmless. He just...well, he's a fan," she mumbled, looking everywhere but at Conner.

"I'll be sure to send a press pack or something home with you, if you'd like. Or I'll just drop by and visit when I come down to visit V," Conner stated, causing Mac to blush all over again.

"Don't worry, this will get less awkward when we all start to just hang out," Veronica hoped her words were true. Her usual crowd wasn't unused to celebrity. She didn't have much experience with people who still had the ability to get starstruck. "Conner, maybe you could show Mac and Wallace to their rooms?"

Conner smirked, "It would be my pleasure. Come on Mac, Wallace, if we don't vacate the room quickly I get the feeling we'll all want to bleach our eyeballs."

"I'm afraid that Mac and I have some business to attend to before we come back here for hair and makeup." Veronica walked over to take Mac's hand in hers. "See you back here in thirty, Mac?"

Mac nodded, still flushed. She grinned again as Conner took her bag from her and started up the stairs.

Veronica turned slowly and stepped up to Logan, slowly running her hands up the length of his chest before she reached around to lace her fingers together behind his neck. He pulled her in for a deep kiss, pressing their bodies fully together.

"Hey you," she cooed as she pulled away. "Sorry for the not-so-warm greeting outside, there were photographers around yesterday, and—"

"This more than makes up for it." Logan moved to kiss her neck as his hands settled onto her hips.

"I can do better than this," she purred.

"Really?" Logan pulled away and looked her in the eyes. His hands came up to brush her hair off her face. "Well, this I have to see."

"Oh, yes, I'd be happy to show you the way to Conner's very luxurious pool house," Veronica flirted, pushing up to her toes to whisper into his ear.

Logan didn't waste a moment. He swiftly grabbed his bag from where he'd abandoned it on the floor and grabbed her hand, "Lead on, beautiful. I'm all yours."

* * *

Logan paced the casual, but clearly professionally decorated, living room of Conner's house. The girls had been getting ready for what seemed like hours while the guys waited. Conner had more than kept his word to provide Logan and Wallace with suitable attire. Some guy had shown up earlier and made quick alterations to off-the-rack tuxedos, while Wallace unabashedly had flirted the guy's assistant. Logan had never worn a tux before and was pretty sure that he looked like James Bond.

"Dude, if you don't chill out you're going to walk a hole in Conner's floor. They'll be done soon. Hell, Mac is probably ready, this is all on your girl," Wallace teased.

Conner chuckled as he came back into the room carrying three beers, "Don't blame Veronica. This is all on her stylist, well Lynn's stylist's assistant if you want to get technical about it."

"What could they possibly be doing?" Wallace asked.

"Trust me, man, you don't want to know. And just be glad you don't have to wear makeup tonight," Conner smirked pointing at his freshly bronzed face.

"You make a good point there," Logan agreed when the sound of clacking heels ended the conversation.

A tall dark haired woman entered the room, "You boys ready to be awed?"

Logan's stomach flip-flopped and he nodded nervously. Conner squeezed his shoulder, "Take a breath, man. Word has it you've seen her in finer attire than what she picked out for tonight." Conner winked.

Logan's jaw dropped, "Um...well...I...shit, Conner! I'm barely holding it together as it is." Logan carefully wiped his brow.

"Well, sugarplum, maybe I can help you with that," Veronica's sultry voice caused Logan's heart to skip a beat and then the sight of her left him breathless.

Veronica strode into the room, her eyes locked onto Logan, and he couldn't look away. Her petite figure was perfectly accentuated by the soft draping of her strapless azure dress, her hair was up with loose strands softly framing her face.

Veronica walked right into Logan's personal space, and pushed his mouth shut, "You're cute when you're flustered."

Logan swallowed, "You're gorgeous." He reached for her waist and pulled her to his chest and spun them around, Veronica's legs kicking up into the air.

"You're looking pretty handsome yourself." She placed a chaste kiss on Logan's lips.

"What about me?" Mac's asked from behind them.

Logan spun Veronica one more time and placed a chaste kiss on the tip of her nose, before setting her down.

"Wow, Mac! You look like a girl," Wallace called out.

Logan turned and found himself face-to-face with a Mac he didn't think he'd ever seen; her hair was down and in loose curls framing her face, while a deep V-neck showed off cleavage Logan had never been aware of. "Wallace had it right. Wow, Mackenzie, who knew what you were hiding under all those plain tees and jeans?" Logan grinned at her and earned a smack in the shoulder from Veronica.

"Miss Mackenzie, you look absolutely lovely," Conner smarmed, taking Mac's hand and kissing it. "I'd ditch that one," he pointed at Veronica, "if I could."

Logan leaned in and whispered, "Any chance we could do that? Or maybe skip the premiere altogether?" his voice husky.

Logan felt Veronica shiver against him and said in a low voice, "Maybe just head straight to the pool house? The zipper is on my left," she pressed her body tight against Logan, a huge grin on her face as Logan groaned from her torture.

"You are such a tease. I'll make you pay for that as soon as we get back." He let his lips linger against the shell of her ear, his hands teasing up her sides, then abruptly stepped away. "Two can play that game," he laughed at her pout.

"Someone  _please_  tell me the limo's here.  _Please_ ," Wallace begged.

"It's here!" Mac called from the entryway. They all quickly grabbed wallets, cell phones, and tiny purses and were on their way.

* * *

"Okay, here's how this is going to work," Conner began to explain after the driver let them know they were in the reception line. "Veronica and I will exit the car when we get our cue. You will all wait, but you need to be ready to get out quickly. They'll let you know when. We have to walk the red carpet for pictures and answer questions with Aaron and Lynn, so you'll probably reach the theater before we do."

Veronica continued, "And don't worry, they should have ushers waiting to take you to your seats, which should have your name on them. Um...Logan, I had them put you next to me, but we—"

"No, I get it. It's fine," Logan nodded.

"I'm not sure that you do," Veronica said glumly.

"You've never seen us in public," Conner frowned.

Veronica pressed herself in close to Logan and reached her hand up to caress his cheek, "We do the affectionate thing. We'll hold hands, cuddle...we kiss."

"Oh, well, yeah. I've seen pictures before." Logan smiled, but Veronica wasn't convinced. Seeing pictures wasn't the same as seeing it in person.

"Okay, just remember you can't react about it. There are cameras everywhere and reporters dying to get a story. A frown at the wrong moment from you watching us could earn one of these photographs hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars," Conner coached.

"Seriously, I've got this. It'll be fine."

Veronica looked to Mac and Wallace. Both wore similar expressions of concern, but before any further comment could be made, a loud rap sounded on the door.

"Showtime," Conner knocked on the window twice and held out his hand, "Our adoring fans await us, my love."

"God you are such a ham," Veronica laughed, "See you all soon. And be good." She blew a kiss to Logan just as the door opened.

_Three, two, one…_ Flash. Veronica blinked quickly, keeping a pleasant smile on her face and turning her head slowly to allow all the different photographers a chance to capture her smiling at them once she was out of the car.

Conner pulled her to his side and they posed while more flashes went off.

" _Conner is it hard having a long distance relationship?"_  a reporter yelled out.

"Neptune is hardly a long distance," Conner chuckled, "Is it Veronica?"

"We see each other all the time. It's really not so different from before. Between school for me and Conner's schedule, we're used to being creative." Veronica grinned and kissed Conner on the cheek.

" _How is school Veronica? Do you like Neptune?"_

Veronica fought the urge to grit her teeth, "I love it. Everyone is so nice. A few of our new friends even joined us tonight." Veronica found her happy place, which used to be occupied with thoughts of her and Conner just hanging out together, but now had been replaced with memories of her and Logan. Him kissing her, holding her, laughing together, snarking at each other.

" _Veronica?_ "

"Oh, I'm so sorry, what was the question?" she asked, pulling her attention back to the matter at hand.

" _We wanted to know if you've given any more thought to joining your parents and Conner professionally?"_

"Not right now. I'm focused on finishing high school." She smiled, giving the comment she always did when asked that particular question.

Conner fielded most of the rest of the questions which, much to Veronica's relief, were focused on the movie. Finally, they made it out the media line and into the somewhat more private space afforded by the landing surrounding the elevators.

"I can't believe this is the theater they chose," Aaron said harshly upon entering the room.

"Oh Aaron, it's a holiday premiere, you know how it is, there are so many releases. We did ask for increased security with all that's been going on, and they took that lurker we complained about away right when we noticed him. Besides, this place is lovely; smaller but with dedicated space for special events like this. At least we aren't taking an escalator with people headed to see a different film."

"I suppose there is the advantage of crowd control," Aaron admitted. "One can never be too careful in times like these."

"And all the usual press was here. It's not like anyone reading the tabloids and celebrity news knows where these things are held anyway," Conner added as they stepped onto the elevator.

"Like I give a shit what you think," Aaron turned away from Conner and glared at Veronica, "I'm so sick of your cute little relationship. All anyone ever asks is about you two," Aaron hissed.

"Honey, this is not the place for—"

"Shut up, Lynn!" Aaron snapped without even turning to look at her. "Veronica, I expect you to be at the beach house tomorrow evening. Only you."

Veronica stepped closer to Conner, her fight-or-flight response warring inside her. She jumped and then immediately relaxed when Conner reached out and pulled her to him, his action both grounding her and pulling her back into the moment. The elevator door would open soon, and Veronica knew that she could not, under any circumstances, let her emotions show on her face. She shook her head and looked up at Conner briefly and then, with the ping of the elevator, she snapped right back into character. She watched as Aaron righted his shoulders and pulled Lynn's arm through his own, so Veronica wrapped her arms around Conner just before the elevator doors slid open. Smile effectively in place, Veronica held tightly to Conner as they followed Lynn and Aaron into the theater.

* * *

Logan gritted his teeth as he watched Conner and Veronica dancing. Grinding was more like it. Conner whispered something in Veronica's ear, she nodded, and then they were practically making out on the dance floor. Logan felt his heart plummet. He knew it was a show. He knew it wasn't real. But he was devastated.

Watching the premiere itself hadn't been so bad, but Logan had found himself struggling since they'd arrived at the after party.

Wallace pinched Logan's side, "Pull it together, man. Anyone watching would know that you're upset about them."

"I just need some fresh air." Logan shut his eyes tightly, trying to imagine anything but the vision of Veronica kissing Conner.

"Okay, let's get some fresh air. Mac!" Wallace called out and pointed to the door that led to a garden and pool. Mac met them at the door, a sad expression on her face.

"They warned you."

Logan shook his head. "I know. Stop reminding me. In fact, Wallace, take Mac back inside. I just need a few minutes alone."

Logan watched as Wallace debated arguing, but Mac grabbed his hand and dragged him back inside. "We'll be back in fifteen if you don't find us," Mac promised.

Logan wondered down the stone path away from the pool and toward the tennis courts and a pond. It was a clear, cool night, so just being outside away from the crush of people had Logan feeling better, less aggravated. When The Conner and Veronica Show wasn't playing live right in front of his eyes, it was easy to understand that it all was exactly that, a show, Veronica and Conner put on for people who didn't even know them. But when he had to see it and hear people talk about what a lovely couple they were...it stung, and his blood boiled. It had been a completely unexpected response. Thoughts of piano wire and desert graves floated through his mind.

Logan bent down and picked up a few stray pebbles and threw them into the pond. He couldn't help but imagine what life might look like years down the road. Assuming they lasted that long, could they have a public relationship? Would people even care about Veronica's life once she wasn't with Conner? What if she decided to become an actor? He threw the remaining pebbles into the pond all at once.

"Don't scare the koi. Why don't we throw this instead?" Veronica's soothing voice penetrated Logan's mind, her small hand appearing in front of him holding a dinner roll.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked, accepting the bread and starting to tear it into small pieces.

"I saw you leave after my little performance with Conner," she said matter-of-factly, accepting a few torn bits and tossing them into the water.

Logan looked at her archly, "You saw me? You seemed awfully busy."

Veronica grabbed the rest of the roll, threw it into the pond and wrapped her arms around his waist. Logan felt his anger and frustration melt away, "It was a performance, I was keeping my eyes on you, and if you don't know that I was thinking about you the whole time, you're crazy," she said simply.

Logan turned in her arms until they were face-to-face. "I didn't expect to feel so...conflicted."

"It's okay, you know. Just remember, it's only a little bit longer, and then it's just you and me. Speaking of which, I need to head back in, and we shouldn't go together." Veronica turned her face up to Logan and pulled him down for a quick kiss. "We only need to stay maybe thirty more minutes. Then we can all leave, and I can show you how I have cleavage in this dress." She winked at him, stepped back and used his hand to turn her in a half pirouette.

Logan was transfixed; her dress flared just a little then clung to her as she walked away, clearly swinging her hips with intention. When she was several yards away, she glanced over her shoulder and blew a kiss back at him. Logan was lost. He just stood, staring after her, for what seemed like hours until the sound of other voices pulled him from his meditation.

"She's a handful. As embarrassing as it is for a father to say, she just isn't satisfied with a passive man. I'm counting on you to really show her you're dominant. Willing to make her stay in line," an unfamiliar voice spoke.

"You can count on me. It's just hard to believe; she's so…"

"Don't let looks fool you. A firm hand, Son, and you'll keep her happy."

Logan was disturbed by the conversation; it sounded as if they were talking about a dog or a horse, except he was pretty sure they were discussing a person. Logan shivered at the weird conversation and headed back down the path toward the party.

The door swung open just as he was about to reach for it, and he ran almost directly into Mac.

"Oh good. We thought we'd lost you. Ready to finish this out and head back to Conner's?" Mac asked.

"You have no idea. The sooner, the better."

* * *

Veronica refreshed herself in the restroom before making her way back to the party. She grabbed a glass of champagne off a passing tray and slowly made her way toward where she'd left Conner. She couldn't get tipsy, but she needed a little something to take the edge off of the evening. It wasn't that she was having a bad time exactly, she was just kissing the wrong guy.

Veronica nodded at acquaintances and social climbers as they passed, keeping a friendly smile on her face the entire time. She remained focused—she kept her eye on the prize—which was Logan...in a pool house...just the two of them. She felt herself blush at the thought. Pausing for a moment, Veronica spotted Conner across the room and eagerly made her way toward him. Her breath caught in her chest when her father stepped into her path. She skidded to a halt.

"Veronica, there you are. I want you to meet someone—someone I dearly hope to work with in the future," Aaron's eyes sparkled with delight. "This is Stosh Piznarski."

_Why does Aaron look like the cat who just swallowed the canary? This can't be good._  "Oh, I've heard of you. You worked with Mike Leigh on Vera Drake, right? I loved it and am so pleased it's getting great reviews; Imelda Staunton was fantastic." Veronica noticed her father's eyebrows raise slightly.  _That's right, Daddy Dearest, your daughter knows something about the indie film scene. Deal with it._ She watched as Aaron's eyes narrowed.

Aaron turned to Piznarski, all smiles, and said, "Well, it sounds like you two have something to talk about…" If she didn't know better, she'd think her father was almost offering...a challenge.  _What the hell?_

Her father plucked the champagne flute out of her hand and disappeared into the crowd.

"Yeah, she's great. It was a rewarding filmmaking process, for sure. I'm interested in spreading my wings next time. I'd like to try something a little more..."

"Youthful?" Veronica prompted. Piznarski seemed nice enough. "Stosh, was it?"

"Piz. People call me Piz….And I was thinking more along the lines of...adventurous," he leaned in and smiled at her.  _That's a little close there, Piz._  Veronica took a subtle step back.

"Yeah, adventure is always appealing. I can't imagine 1950s London was too adventurous, but it was ground-breaking none-the-less."

"I appreciate your saying that. I thought you might be the adventurous sort," Piz's voice was low and he winked at her.  _Oh goody, another artsy-type Hollywood weirdo. Because they were in such short supply,_  she groaned.

Veronica worked hard to stay in-character. "Rom coms more my demographic, but I like adventure. And Conner's action films, obviously," Veronica provided, not sure what he had in mind. Steering the conversation to Conner seemed safe. It was his premiere party, afterall.

"Oh, yes, Conner Larkin. The man of the hour," Piz replied slowly, still smiling, but his expression gave nothing away.

Veronica just nodded, unsure of what to say. "Well, they're calling it the Christmas action movie of the decade...didn't they refer to it as 'this generation's Die Hard'?" she asked, looking in the direction she'd seen Conner, hoping he'd cut in. She couldn't see him anymore.

"The movie was great. Speaking of Larkin, I hear that you two are somewhat...relaxed." Veronica hated speaking in riddles. She could snark and spar with the best of them, but innuendo and beating around the bush weren't her forte.

"Oh yeah, Conner's great—he's been so supportive of me this past year and great during the move. But, you're right, we're pretty chill. We see each other when we can, but don't mind the other having outside interests," Veronica grinned like she always did when she thought of Conner.

"Great! That seems...healthy, natural even," Piz nodded appreciatively.

"Well, it's not for everyone, but it certainly works for us," Veronica finished awkwardly. "Hey, some of my new friends from Neptune are here tonight and I feel like I've abandoned them in la la land. You know how intimidating these Hollywood parties can be," Veronica flashed Piz a winning Echolls smile and walked away without looking back.

* * *

Veronica clutched Conner's hand as they stepped out into the night and toward the waiting limo. The intrusion of smoke into her lungs and momentary blinding light from flashes alerted Veronica to their audience. She turned to see Mac, Logan and Wallace walking together arm-in-arm. Logan was leaning in to listen to a story Wallace was relating with a broad smile on his face. Logan's relaxed, happy expression lightened Veronica's mood. The circumstances may have been unusual, but they were all coping admirably.

"You okay, babygirl?" Conner pulled Veronica's attention up to him, "Nervous about tonight? I can talk to Logan if you need me to...let him know you're not ready."

"I'm not a child, Conner. I can handle it myself, but there's no need; Logan will let me take the lead," Veronica protested. She tried to pull away from him, but Conner held strong, refusing to let her go. He turned to her friends and spoke up.

"Hey, you guys hop in the limo ahead of us. Veronica and I need to pose one last time," he said, pulling Veronica back a few feet from the limo. "Babe, you need to tell me what you need from me. I love you, but I can't read your mind. What's going on?"

"Nothing, I'm just tired of the charade," she groaned.

Conner's eyes lit up. "Veronica Echolls, are you breaking up with me?" he snarked, grinning widely. "For the son of a sheriff? What a scandal!" he tsked.

Veronica knew he was trying to lighten the mood, but she couldn't play along this time. "Of course not, Conner. I just—I'm tired of playacting all the time. I wanted to move to Neptune and have a break. All I've done is drag Logan into this crazy world we live in," she huffed.

"There are people watching, my love, keep up a smile," he whispered under his breath through his ever-present smile. "Veronica, I've seen how he looks at you; he's not regretting getting involved with you," Conner leaned in and kissed her lips softly. Veronica knew that, to the outside world, they looked as if they were having an intimate moment. And they were, she supposed—just not the kind of intimacy that everyone assumed, which was the problem. She knew Logan was watching. She turned and took another step away from the limo.

"I don't want him around my dad. I want him far away from all this. They aren't planning to leave until tomorrow afternoon. I don't know when I'll have to leave and he's not going to be happy about the dinner with Aaron—"

Conner caught her from behind and pulled her against him. "Don't worry about that right now, just go home and enjoy the night with your boyfriend," Conner insisted, whispering into her ear. "We'll make sure he's gone before you leave to meet your parents. Worst case scenario, he finds out, stays in town and I'm stuck dragging your man with me to some cheesy media stuff. It's no problem. I, for one, don't mind spending the day with a hot guy." Conner paused for a moment. "What's this really about, Veronica?"

"I'm scared, Conner. I'm scared of going to my dad's tomorrow. I'm scared of something happening—"

"You'll be okay," Conner turned her around so they were face-to-face.

"I'm not scared for me; I'm scared of what happens when I get hurt and Logan gets involved and my father ruins him. I'm scared that I am falling in love with someone who would be so much better with anyone other than me."

Conner kissed her then, smiling for any observers, and then held her close. She wrapped her arms around him and sank into him.

"Then we just can't let that happen. I'll come and rescue you and keep lover-boy at bay. I'll take the heat," Conner promised.

"You shouldn't have to. I should just be able to be normal for him," Veronica was furious, but she maintained a love-sick gaze into Conner's eyes. She pecked him on the cheek and then turned and skipped into the limo, pulling him along behind her.

* * *

Even though Veronica immediately snuggled into Logan when she entered the limo, he could tell that she wasn't fully present. He naturally adjusted so that his arm was around her shoulders and pulled her close.

"Hey, beautiful, the show's over. The evening is ours now," he whispered, kissing her on the crown of her head. She only nodded, so he turned to Conner, worried.

Conner offered him a weak smile and shook his head at Logan, mouthing ' _not now_ ' to him. Logan couldn't help but be concerned, but he knew better than to push.

Thankfully, traffic was light and it didn't take them long to get back to Conner's house. Conner moved to exit the limo first. "I didn't see any cameras by the drive, but we're keeping up appearances until we're inside," he warned as he held out a hand to Veronica.

Once inside, Veronica visibly relaxed and Logan found himself following suit. Mac and Wallace seemed less concerned. They were excitedly sharing stories of celebrity sightings.

Veronica seemed to enjoy their enthusiasm. "So, how was your first foray into the world of Hollywood's elite?" she asked brightly, though Logan could tell she was fraying around the edges.

"So much fun, but I don't know how you do that all the time. I'm exhausted," Mac sighed as she pulled off her heals. "I actually talked to Vin Diesel," she jumped a little. "And Josh Hartnett."

"Yeah, V, next time maybe your boy there," Wallace pointed at Conner, "should try a romantic comedy so there are more hot  _ladies_  at the premiere. Mac here had  _way_  better eye-candy than me."

Veronica was used to Wallace's teasing by now. "Says the guy chatting it up with Lucy Liu. I have eyes, Wallace," she snarked.

"No, Wallace is right. I'll tell my agent to cancel all plans for a  _Christmas_   _Crossfire_ sequel and get right on that," Conner commented, laughing. "Anyone interested in late-night ice cream? I had the shopper buy extra," he looked at Veronica invitingly.

"I'm in!" "Sure," Wallace and Mac piped up at the same time.

Logan was surprised when Veronica refused. "None for me, thanks. I'm ready for bed."

_Interesting turn of events_ , he thought. Veronica hugged Mac and Wallace each before turning to Conner and leaning in to receive a kiss on the cheek. "G'night all," she said as she took Logan by the hand and led him out the door that opened to the back patio.

"Veronica, I've waited to be alone with you all night. I can wait another ten minutes so that you can have some dessert; I don't mind," he tugged on her arm, hoping she'd look up at him. "Hey, what's going on?" he pushed after a moment of silence. He didn't miss that she still wouldn't meet his gaze, so he stepped behind her and pressed his body into hers, lightly kissing the back of her neck.

"Nothing," she sighed in obvious frustration as she pulled him into the pool house and flipped on the light. "I'm just tired is all."

"Oh," he returned, unconvinced. "Well, you don't have to worry about me. I won't push."

"I'm not worried about you pushing. I like being near you; I want to be near you, it's just…"

"I meant if you're tired. I don't mind just sleeping with you. Clothing optional, of course," he snarked. "Now, about that zipper," he began, reaching for her side.

"Listen, Logan."  _Uh-oh. Nothing good ever starts with 'listen'._ "I was thinking—" she began as she pulled away from him and turned around.

"Well, don't," he reached for her again and pulled them close. "We can have a whole night of no thinking...just feeling," he pulled back to kiss the base of her throat and began working his way over to her shoulder.

"Why would you even want to be with me, Logan? It doesn't make sense. You could be with someone like Lilly. She's exciting and she's beautiful, and being with her would be so much more normal than what you can have with me."

"Stop it, Veronica. What brought this on? And who ever said I wanted normal? What makes you even think that I  _am_  normal! And even if I did want 'normal', Lilly Kane is that last person I could have that with."

"She told me you guys had a thing. I don't remember all of it, but she tried to put me off you. I think she still might like you."

"No, I just happen to be the ultimate pawn in the nasty little games she likes to play with her parents. Why are we still talking about Lilly? I do not want Lilly Kane. I want you. Only you. You should know that by now."

"But you shouldn't want me."

"Well, I do, and nothing you say is going to change that. Do I wish you didn't have to put on that show with Conner? Yes. Am I jealous as hell that he gets to be like that with you in public? Yes. But am I going to get over it and remember that Conner is, in fact, just your friend and that this act helps to keep you safe? Yes. So stop telling me what I should or shouldn't want and come over here and make out with me."

Logan watched as Veronica hesitated then turned determined focused eyes to him, "The zipper is on the left."

* * *

Veronica laid her head against Logan's bare chest, still a little out of breath, "Well, that was one way to change the subject."

"I'm all about the deflect and distract, Echolls." Logan gently kissed the top of her head.

"While I'm still reeling a bit, don't think I missed the comment about you being the ultimate pawn for Lilly."

"I was hoping," he sighed, his arms squeezing her tightly.

"What did you mean?"

"I shouldn't have even said that much."

"But I thought we were trying to be honest, to talk—"

Logan cut her off, "That's not what I mean. I legally shouldn't have said that much. I—I, well, crap. Looks like I'm breaking the NDA twice this week."

"You can't talk about something because of a NDA with the Kanes? What the hell happened between you two?"

"Not between Lilly and I. Between her father and my mother," Logan blew out a breath, "They were high school sweethearts who never got over each other. There was some question as to who my father actually was and it all came to light when her mom caught Lilly and I kissing."

Veronica was shocked, "Oh God. I'm so sorry that's horrible. Are—were...um…"

"No, I'm not the bastard half-sibling of the Kanes. I'm my father's son. But it took my mom running away and me engaging in some less-than-ideal behavior before I got up the balls to find out." Logan's hand traced patterns on Veronica bare back almost to the point of distraction, "So, like I was saying before, I have zero interest in Lilly romantically. And the only interest she has in me is to remind her parents of the affair and what could have been."

"Maybe I was wrong about the whole normal thing."

"Yes, muffin, you are very wrong about it. I'm not normal; I don't want to be normal. I just want to be me, preferably at a very nice Ivy League school far away from this place. Any chance I could interest you in that?"

"I've been so focused on just making it through till next summer that I haven't spent much time thinking about it," Veronica answered honestly.

"You're in the same classes as me. And you're sort of famous," he grinned, "I bet you can get into whatever school you want."

"I—wow, I don't even know. Um...what schools are you applying to? Do you know yet?" Veronica asked, a thrill of excitement rushing through her.

"I have a list. You want me to share it with you when we get back? We could start working on personal statements and resume building  _activities_." Logan flipped Veronica onto her back and leered down at her.

"You are such a perv."

"Your perv."

"Better be," she reached up and kissed him, looking forward to some more  _activities_  of the non-resume building variety.

* * *

Dresses from the premiere:

 

The afterparty feeding the ducks and swans:

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well everyone we are halfway there! We want to thank you all so much for the wonderful comments, messages, overall excitement and support for our story. We had a wonderful time writing it and knowing that so many of your are enjoying it as well means so much to us.
> 
> So a couple of fun things for this chapter:
> 
> The line about having to ride the escalator with people headed to see other movies during a premiere actually happened to Bondopoulos. She saw Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams for the NYC Brokeback Mountain premiere while headed to see Pride and Prejudice.
> 
> And if there is anyone out there who wants to design a Conner Larkin Fan Club image we strongly encourage that you do so!


	7. On the seventh day of Christmas, Los Angeles gave to me...seven rounds of dare and a moppet haired wannabe

**Chapter 7: On the seventh day of Christmas, Los Angeles gave to me...seven rounds of dare and a moppet haired wannabe**

* * *

**Sunday, December 19th**

Veronica woke up smiling. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so content. Just one month ago, her only romance consisted of 'Hollywood kissing' Conner while posing for cameras. Now, here she was, naked in bed pressed fully against her nearly-naked boyfriend. She relished the warm feeling of his large arm wrapped around her and his hand splayed open across her abdomen. She kept her eyes closed and stayed still, not quite ready to start a day back in reality.

"I know you're awake, beautiful," Logan's whispered words tickled her ear and sent a shiver down her spine. He slid his hand up her exposed arm and brushed her hair away before placing slow kisses down her neck. She shivered again, adjusting so that more of her skin was available to him. Wanting to feel even closer to him, Veronica rolled over so that she could press her front against him fully. She instinctively ground her hips into his and smiled when she felt his erection press against her.

"Oh you did, did you? Why didn't you wake me up?" she grinned and caught his mouth with hers. She was surprised at her own boldness. Being intimate with him, with anyone, was still all so new, yet it felt so natural.

"Waking up next to my naked girlfriend is a new thing for me. I'd lie here all day and just watch you sleep if we could," he said between kisses. "Speaking of which, I don't think we should start something right now that we can't finish," he warned, grinding his hips into her one last time before kissing her chastely on the forehead and sliding out from underneath her.

"Tease," she grumbled at him, keeping a hold on his chest so that he couldn't pull away completely. "I didn't have any problem finishing last night. More than once, for that matter."

He laughed horsely. "No you didn't. But are you trying to kill me? I'm seventeen, Veronica, and you're naked and pressed against me. I deserve some credit for keeping my boxers on last night and my wits about me now. I can only handle so much temptation," he said playfully.

Veronica smiled and tucked herself into his side. His arm snaked around her again and held her close.

"Why can't it just be like this? Why do there have to be all those other people in this world?" she mused.

"I'm not complaining. It just makes me appreciate our time together that much more; I wouldn't trade this moment for anything," he turned to kiss her lightly on the lips.

His tone and words made Veronica warm all over.  _I can't believe I got this lucky. He's just so wonderful._ She couldn't help but wonder when the other shoe would drop.

"I don't want to leave you today," he said as he rolled on to his side so they were lying face-to-face.

She took his hand in hers and placed it over her heart. "I don't want you to, either. What time are you guys heading home?" Veronica was determined to keep her voice even. She didn't want him to know how nervous she was about dinner with Aaron tonight; she hadn't told him yet.

"Early afternoon, I think. No one is in a hurry, but Mac needs to be home for dinner." He smiled and placed a hand on the side of her face, his thumb rubbing light circles on her cheek. "I'll miss you, but you'll be home tomorrow, right?"

She nodded in response, too lost in his eyes to speak. A movement on the outside of the French door's shade caught her eye right before a shadow appeared. She quickly found her voice. "Don't you dare come in here, Larkin," she shouted out as her eyes darted to the foot of the bed for the duvet to pull over them both.

"Wasn't going to," she heard Conner's muffled words through the door. "Everyone's hungry, though, lovebirds. I'm just finishing up; breakfast will be on the table in five minutes. Clothing is  _not_  optional," he laughed, and the shadow retreated.

"What?" Logan questioned. "Captain Action Hero doesn't have help like the Echolls?" he teased.

"Not Sunday morning, and he doesn't need them. Even though Conner is perpetually on a diet, he makes the  _best_  breakfast. Let's go!" Veronica's eyes twinkled as she gave him a hasty kiss and then hopped out of bed. She turned and grabbed the shirt Logan had worn for the drive up off the chair in the corner and tugged it on with some pajama pants of her own. When she reached the door she turned back, surprised to see Logan still in bed. "Aren't you coming? We don't want to let Wallace take all the bacon."

"I'm going to need a minute to, um, settle down," he replied diplomatically as he gestured toward the cover that was still over him.

Veronica smiled and made her way back to him. She sat down on the edge of the bed and brushed his hair back off his forehead. "Sorry. I'd have thought the sight of Conner's silhouette would have taken care of that.

"It did. But that was before you walked across the room naked and then put on my clothes," he explained, heat behind his eyes.

Suddenly shy, she didn't know what to say. Logan must have noticed her discomfort. "You go on ahead and make me a plate. I'm going to take a thirty second cold shower. I'll be right out." Veronica leaned forward and kissed him again, slowly this time. "Yeah, that's not going to help," he warned.

"Thank you," she stated, looking directly into his eyes. At his questioning glance, she continued, "Thank you for being so protective of me and patient with me. I'm glad I had baby oil in my purse that first day at school."

"Me too," he responded and kissed her again. He paused for a moment, his eyes intensely connected with hers and then pulled away abruptly. "Now get out of here before we start last night all over again. I'm hungry, too," he joked, pulling back the sheets and brushing past her to go into the bathroom.

* * *

Veronica hadn't exaggerated Conner's breakfast-making ability. Everything was fantastic from the crepes to the chickpea pancakes he'd made for Mac. Logan ate his weight in food and there was still enough for everyone else.  _This weekend keeps getting better and better_ , he thought with a sigh as he leaned back to stretch his full stomach. All those years he'd spent scoffing at lovesick couples was coming back to bite in him the ass. He honestly didn't know how he was going to leave her here and go home this afternoon.

"Aren't you going to eat, man?" Logan asked Conner as he finished his last bite.

"No carbs or animal fats, unfortunately. Not today. I have a big job later," Conner explained as he sipped at his tea. "I did have a protein smoothie earlier."

"That blows," Logan lamented.

"So what's the plan for today, guys?" Conner asked the group. "What time are you hitting the road?"

"At least you fed us before you kicked us out," Wallace poked fun, shaking his head in mock upset.

"No, no," Conner laughed. "You're welcome to stay as long as you want. I have to do a shoot tonight for Vanity Fair, but today is a rare lazy day for me."

"Are you shooting tomorrow before Leno, Conner?" Veronica asked.

"Yeah, I have an early morning shoot, and then Leno is in the afternoon," Conner responded nonchalantly.

"I love how you say you're going to be on Leno like I talk about heading to the grocery store," Logan responded in disbelief.

"I'll let my Dad know; he loves Leno," Mac said, taking her plate into the kitchen. Logan watched as Veronica gathered up a few plates and followed Mac. He couldn't help but follow Veronica with his eyes. He didn't know why, but he was always hyper-aware of where she was.

Conner lifted his eyebrows at him and asked, "What about you, Logan? What do you want to do before we all head out later?" Veronica came back into the room and gave Conner a long look as she sat on the arm of Logan's chair. Conner looked as confused as Logan was.

"How about we all go in the hot tub?" she offered. "I told everyone to pack a suit."

Logan turned to her, trying to assess her sudden tension. He ignored her comment about the jacuzzi. And rolled Conner's last comment around his mind,  _All head out..._

"All of us? Is Veronica going to the Vanity Fair shoot with you?" Logan made a mental note not to watch celebrity gossip news that night.

"No, she's going to go over—"

"Conner!" Veronica admonished warningly, but she was too late. He could see Wallace looking questioningly between the three of them and noticed that Mac was hovering near the door to the kitchen, looking uncomfortable.

Logan tried to look at Veronica more closely. She wouldn't meet his gaze, so he turned back to Conner. "What am I missing?"

He felt Veronica take a deep breath beside him and his fear increased triple fold. "Can we go back to the pool house, please?" she begged him.

 _Holy shit. What could be so bad that she needs to talk about it in private?_ The image of Aaron Echolls came into the forefront of Logan's mind and he relented, of course, standing quickly and taking her hand and leading her out onto the patio. He wanted to reach out and comfort her, but his mind was racing through all kinds of possibilities.

He barely waited until he was over the threshold before he spoke up. "What's going on tonight?" He heard the door click behind him and turned to see Veronica and Conner clearly having a debate with only their eyes. Veronica clearly was furious with Conner, which made him furious with her.  _How dare they keep this from me after everything that's happened._

"Well, one of you had better start talking. I thought we were all in this together," Logan knew that his tone sounded more angry than hurt, which wasn't what he'd intended. Veronica turned toward him and walked straight into his arms.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to  _not_  tell you, it just all happened so fast. And then last night was just you and me and I didn't want to bring it up…"

"And this morning?" he prompted her, his tone gentle and compassionate again.

"This morning was perfect and I honestly can say I didn't think about Aaron at all until Conner brought up afternoon plans. I'm sorry, Logan. The whole truth is that Aaron expects me for dinner tonight."

"So I'll go, too, I'll—"

Veronica slipped out of his arms and took a step back, her eyes wide in protest. "No; Aaron was specific. Just me. Alone. Not even Conner."

"Surely that can't be a good sign," he said, looking to Conner.

"Logan, we can't control everything," Conner started, stepping toward them.

"The hell we can't…" Logan sputtered, flustered. He didn't like being out of control. He began to pace, his hands reflexively digging into his hair as he turned.

"Logan, you can't save me from everything. Like it or not, he's still my father. He still has a say in what I do. We've done everything we can to avoid him, but that will only work for so long. This is just dinner; no doubt he wants to be seen in public with his family while we're all in town."

"In public?" Logan eased a bit but didn't turn around.

"I'm assuming so, yes. But if not, it will be a small dinner at home with just the family," Veronica confirmed.

"And what if something happens?" he asked, blowing out a long breath and whirling around to face her again. He played nervously with the hem of his shirt until he realized that he was fidgeting and let it go.

"Nothing will happen, Logan. Lynn will be there. They'll almost certainly be out in public. I'll have someone call and move my interview so I can pick her up directly after dinner, myself," Conner promised. "There are some things that are just out of our hands. It's hard to accept, I know, but I have...and Veronica has. She'll be okay."

Logan crossed the distance between himself and Veronica and pulled her close again, wishing he could sneak her back to Neptune this afternoon with him. "You can't possibly think I'm leaving today, not after hearing  _this_." His voice sounded raw even to his own ears. He drunk in her scent to calm his nerves.

"You can stay if you'd like, Logan. I'm going to call my publicist and then tell Mac and Wallace that you're staying here," Conner said as he exited the pool house.

"You can't keep things from me just because I'll worry, Veronica. If I don't think I know what's going on, I'll just get more worried. But, if something happens...if things get worse—" Logan began, thinking of his promise to himself to tell his father if that's what it would take to keep her safe.

"They won't." She looked up into his eyes and cupped his face. "Public family dinners involving my mother, and possibly Trina, don't end with bruises, I promise. Really. This is a best-case scenario as far as Aaron encounters are concerned."

Logan searched her face and determined that she was telling the truth. Or, at the very least,  _she_  believed what she said. It would have to be good enough for him, too. She was right, there really were some things that he couldn't control.

"Can we please not let this ruin our day? Let's go hang out in the luxurious hot tub and be young and carefree for a few hours." She went over to where their bags sat in a corner and fished out her bikini and his board shorts.

Logan nodded, knowing that it wasn't the right choice, but, once again, it was her choice. He would have to learn to live with that.

* * *

Veronica leaned back in the jacuzzi tub and took hold of Mac's hand as Conner whipped his shirt off and threw it aside onto one of the poolside loungers. Veronica smiled widely as she felt Mac go rigid next to her.

"Told you," Veronica whispered so that everyone could hear her.

Mac's dimples were deep as she sighed and kept her gaze locked on Conner. Veronica was giddy. "You didn't lie."

"You told her what?" Conner asked, obviously confused.

"Logan tells everyone that your abs are painted on," Veronica confessed, her eyes playfully went to Logan's who turned red himself. "Thank you for setting the record straight."

Conner's eyes narrowed and he turned to face Logan and lightheartedly said, "Really? Not impressed, Mars? Want to have a little comparison competition? The girls can judge. Or, for the sake of impartiality, we could use Wallace."

"Keep me out of this," Wallace spoke up.

"No, it's cool," Logan replied through gritted teeth. "No judges needed."

Mac giggled and Logan's scowl deepened.

"Just so long as Mac knows the truth," Conner snarked playfully, showing off his flexed abs one last time as he walked past Logan to sit between him and Veronica.

"Oh, I believe you. I've seen it now with my own eyes." Mac sighed, still looking at Conner. "And here I thought Logan was in good shape."

Logan's jaw actually dropped.

"Well, Logan's in good shape for a normal person," Veronica defended, smiling at her boyfriend as she leaned her head onto Conner's shoulder.

"Oh my God, Veronica. I'm right here," Logan gasped. Veronica knew he wasn't really offended.

"So you are." Conner clearly couldn't let the topic go. "Oh, hey, since you're  _right there_ …I brought out my camera. Logan, would you mind taking a picture of me with the girls? You know…showing off my abs?" Conner leaned to reach a table by the tub and pulled out his camera. He handed it to Logan.

"What? You're serious?" Logan was aghast. Veronica tried to hold back a laugh for his sake.

"Completely and utterly, brother. I never joke about muscles," Conner replied smoothly as he pulled the girls up so they were half out of the water, too. Logan begrudgingly snapped a picture and then put the camera down behind him.

"Anything else you need while I'm here?" Logan asked sarcastically.

"Well, now that you mention it, now I've got nothing pressing set for this afternoon. So if you have any laundry you need to do, I've got these  _washboard_   _abs_ —"

Conner was cut off by a huge splash of water hitting him square in the face. He sputtered and wiped the water out of his eyes, smiling the whole time. Conner sat down again, this time between Mac and Veronica. "Oh, Veronica, we've offended your boyfriend. Go make it up to him." He picked Veronica up and lightly pushed her across the tub toward Logan.

Veronica watched Logan's eyes soften as he reached out to grab her and then settled her sideways across his lap. She snuggled her side into his broad chest and sighed contentedly. "You know we're just teasing, right? You're perfect just the way you are." She looked into his eyes as she spoke, trying to gauge if he truly was hurt.

"I know, I know. I'm just your average,  _normal_  boyfriend," he kissed her lightly on the nose and pulled her close again.

"Very funny, Mars. I love how you use normalcy against me when it suits you," she teased.

"Well it's about time I got a cameo in this piece, I guess. Clearly the role of swol has already been cast," he splashed Conner again.

"I'm just happy to be out of Neptune and all that high school bullshit," Wallace added. "It almost makes the near ever-present PDAs of Logan and Veronica or Conner and Veronica worth it."

"Yes, I've certainly been a busy little bee," Veronica laughed. "What can I say? I'm a keeper!" She smiled when Logan only hugged her tighter.

"Yeah you are," he whispered in her ear.

"Oh, I'd almost forgotten that I was spending the weekend with a bunch of high schoolers," Conner groaned.

"Oh my God, Conner," Veronica scolded as she slid off of Logan and leaned into his side instead. "You're like nineteen, not thirty. And you never even went to a real high school. You should be using this opportunity to relive your lost adolescence."

"Should I be supervising you guys more or something? Sam Mackenzie would be horrified," Conner shivered theatrically. "Does your father own a gun, Mac?"

"Not so much," she said. "No, no need for supervision. If my dad were here, he'd be so enamored with you that he wouldn't notice if I was on fire," she griped.

"But I think you're on to something, Larkin," Wallace raised his eyebrows at the group maniacally. "Let's sit in a movie star's luxurious mansion and do something totally high school: Truth or Dare. Who's going first?"

"Truth or Dare is junior high, dork," Mac spoke up. "I'll lie if I don't want to answer, anyway," Mac admitted.

"I forgot that you always lie!" Wallace cracked up. "You are no fun, Mac. Fine, we'll just play Dare. Go ahead, dare me anything...I  _dare_  you."

Veronica laughed at the scene before her. Maybe Dare with actual friends wouldn't be so bad. She'd never played because she'd never been able to trust anyone but Conner wherever she went.

"Fine, Wallace, but my clothes are staying on no matter what. I dare you to…." Mac thought for a second, "call that stylist of Conner's that you were flirting with so shamelessly yesterday and ask her out." Veronica laughed and Logan clapped his hands at Mac.

"Perfect, Mackie," Logan cheered. "Unless Wallace is too chicken," Logan added, a challenge in his tone.

"Oh, I'll do it, so you don't you dare take credit for goading me into it. Unlike the rest of you, I don't beat around the bush when I like someone," Wallace climbed out of the pool and grabbed a towel to dry off his hands.

"Hence all the rejection," Mac snarked and Wallace turned to her wide-eyed.

"Oh you just  _wait_  till it's my turn to dare you, missy. Where's your phone, Larkin?"

Conner pointed to a table on the patio. "Good luck, man," he said as Wallace stalked off toward the house to call in private. "How do you guys know he'll really call her?" he asked.

"Oh, he'll call her!" Mac and Logan said in unison, causing everyone to laugh.

The group made small talk until they heard the door to the patio open and Wallace reappeared. "How'd it go?" Veronica asked eagerly.

"She let me down easy. I think my charm and physique are intimidating," Wallace boasted, still all smiles.

"Yeah, it could be that...or the date on your birth certificate," Logan shrugged as Wallace slid back into the jacuzzi.

"Well, lucky me, it's my turn. Whom shall I torture?" Wallace pretended to think, making a big show of scratching his temple in faux contemplation. "I think I'll go with Mac."

"No surprise there," Mac said confidently, but Veronica could tell the brunette was a little nervous despite her bravado. "Just remember, I'm remaining in my current state of barely dressed." Mac indicated her modest bikini.

"Like I want to see  _that_. No one needs to see their sister naked, Mac! Oh no, I have something better in mind for you," he rubbed his hands together, clearly for dramatic effect. "Since we are here in the house of the Mackenzie family crush and all, I think it's only appropriate that….I dare you to kiss Conner Larkin."

"What?" Mac gasped in surprise. Obviously she hadn't expected this turn of events.

"No, no backing out of a dare, Mackenzie," Wallace persisted.

Logan was bursting with laughter and Conner actually blushed. Veronica was the only one to keep her wits about her. "No, Wallace, you can't do that. You can't hijack Mac's first kiss; it's not fair. A girl's first kiss is supposed to be special," Veronica objected before realizing she'd just spilled Mac's lack of experience to the group. "Oh, Mac, I'm sorry."

Logan stopped laughing immediately, Wallace looked stricken and Conner looked like he was ready to throttle the lot of them.

"Wow, I didn't know this was a full disclosure kind of Sunday. I guess I don't need to lie next time we play Truth or Dare, because you guys know everything, now," Mac groaned and sunk farther into the tub. "I'm sorry, Conner."

"I'm not going to force you to kiss me," he said, putting his arm around her and giving her a peck on the top of her head. "Unlike these assholes, I'm not going to commandeer your first kiss if you're not willing."

"I'm pretty sure that  _me_  not wanting  _you_  to be my first kiss isn't the issue," she admitted shyly.

"Well, then," Conner stood up and pulled Mac up with him. "I don't think your first kiss needs an audience." Conner shot Wallace a smug look as he handed Mac a towel and pulled her toward the house.

The moment Mac and Conner were inside the house, Veronica turned her glare on Wallace. "That was wrong," she moved across the tub to smack Wallace hard on the arm.

"Ow!" Wallace rubbed his arm and frowned as she backed up to sit by Logan again. "I swear I didn't know!"

"That doesn't make it any better. She's shy; she's reserved—"

"Well, at least now she'll have a good story!" Wallace shrank away when Veronica stood back up to smack him again. Logan pulled her back just in time. "I said I was sorry," he insisted.

"Don't tell me, you jackass. Tell Mac!" Veronica hissed.

At that moment, the door to the house opened again and Conner emerged with a flushed and happy-looking Mac. A silence fell over the jacuzzi. For once, it appeared that no one knew quite what to say. Finally, Wallace broke the silence.

"I apologize, Mac. I didn't know, but I shouldn't have assumed. You're one of my best friends. I don't want you to ever feel uncomfortable because of me," he lamented, his tone sincere.

Mac nodded and blushed again. "I accept your apology. And it wasn't  _that_  bad, Wallace."

It was Conner's turn to be offended, "Not that bad, I'll have you know that—"

Mac cut him off. "Oh no, I was talking about the awkwardness. As for the kiss…" Mac trailed off and turned to Veronica, "Well I take back everything I ever judged about your fake relationship with Conner. Clearly 'dating' him has it's upside," Mac sighed theatrically and leaned into Conner who was blushing, too.

"Yes, the boy sure can kiss!" Veronica agreed.

"Again, I'm  _right here!_ " Logan protested for the second time that morning.

"Full disclosure Sunday isn't looking so bad now is it?" chimed Wallace.

"You'll hear no complaints from me," Mac mused, her dimples prominent.

Conner turned and pulled Mac to him, pressing a passionate, yet playful, kiss on her lips. Veronica couldn't help the gasp that escaped her. "What? I don't mind her having an audience for her third kiss," he said smugly.

"Third!?" Veronica giggled as Logan reached across to high-five Conner.

* * *

Veronica stepped out of the town car and made her way to the beach house entrance. She'd been having so much fun hanging out with everyone at Conner's and getting to act almost normal with her boyfriend. She smiled dreamily; being with Logan was so unexpected.

Lost in her thoughts, she slowly made her way through the house and to the kitchen, expecting to see Sophia cooking or maybe her mother. But the kitchen was empty. Veronica thought more about when she'd come into the house—her mother's car wasn't there.  _This can't be good._

"Good, you're on time." Aaron's voice boomed behind her.

"Um...yeah, you did send a car. Conner would have brought me, though," Veronica offered lamely.

"'Conner would have brought me'," Aaron parroted back at her. "If I wanted to see him, I would have invited him over. No, Darling Daughter, not tonight. In fact, I want you to go put your cell phone away; I don't want any interruptions."

 _This is so not good,_ "Where's Mom?" Veronica asked as she started to walk out of the room.

"Oh, she'll be back soon. And Veronica," he called. She turned back to face him from the end of the hall. "I had Sophia put out what you're to wear this evening. Get changed."

Perplexed, Veronica went up to her room and found a dark blue cocktail dress laid out on her bed. It was long sleeved, but that was its only nod to being conservative; it was extremely short and had a plunging neckline. It was not a family dinner dress. Veronica pulled out her cell phone, snapped a picture of the dress and texted it to Conner.

 **Veronica: '** my dress for family dinner'

 **Conner: '** is family dinner at Spago?'

Veronica chuckled and set her phone down. She started digging through the makeup and products she had in the room. It was certainly limited, but she hadn't been expecting this dinner to be more than casual. The dress indicated that, if she didn't want to be in trouble, she'd better look whatever part Aaron had in mind. And based on the style of the dress, it was slightly vampy celebutante.

Veronica quickly went to work putting on more eyeliner and opted to just straighten her hair and wear it down. With its new short length, that was an easy option. Ten minutes later, she was dressed but just couldn't shake her sense of unease. Veronica quickly glanced out the window and saw that her mom's car was still absent, so she sent her a quick text asking for her ETA and waited, not wanting to deal with Aaron.

 **Mom: '** at the restaurant where R U?'

"Shit," Veronica said under her breath.

"Veronica get down here! Our guest just arrived," Aaron's voice startled her, "And leave your damn phone."

Veronica looked around quickly. She thought about sliding her phone into her bra, but it would show, and she was running out of time. Her door burst open and Aaron appeared, holding out his hand.

Veronica simply set her phone in his palm.  _Too late now_ , she sighed unhappily. "I know Mom's already at a restaurant. So where are we going?"

"Oh, I'm headed to meet your mother. And you are going to spend the evening with Stosh Piznarski," Aaron said, ushering Veronica out of her room. "You look lovely. Glad you at least got something worthwhile from your mother."

Veronica worked hard to control her emotions.  _It'll be fine...deep breaths,_ she coached herself; this wasn't the first time Aaron had forced her on one of these setups, and she'd be damned if she let this one go like the last one had.

"Dad, I'm not sure—"

"I don't care. You will got out with him and you will do whatever wants. Is that understood? He's attached to a project that could get me another Oscar. Don't screw this up."

Veronica took in a shaky breath and nodded.

At the bottom of the stairs, Veronica saw Piz shifting nervously back and forth in a dark grey suit, holding a bouquet of flowers. He turned and looked up at them, a shy but bright smile appeared on his face.

"Veronica, you look even more beautiful than last night."

 _Yuck._ Veronica put on her best Hollywood smile and accepted the flowers and a kiss on the cheek, "Thank you. Um...let me put these in some water and we can..." she trailed off and headed quickly for the kitchen, wishing Sofia was there.

She could hear Piz and her dad's voices clearly. They were in the entry, so Veronica knew she had at least a minute to try to let someone know what was going on, which was more than she'd had last time. She shuddered at the memory of her father leaving her alone in a private dining room with, Benton, the son of a studio executive who had a reputation for not taking 'no' very well. He'd told her she looked beautiful, too.

Veronica made a lot of noise opening and closing cupboards and running water for the flowers while she picked up the house phone and dialed Logan's number.

" _Veronica?"_ Logan answered on the first ring.

"Yeah, I don't have much time. Dad set me up with someone again. I don't know where we're going and he took my phone," Veronica whispered.

" _Who?"_

"Stosh Piznarski."

Veronica realized it had become quiet and then heard footsteps.

" _Okay, I'm here with Conner. We'll—"_

She quickly set down the phone and hoped that Logan would stay on the line. The previous time Aaron had tried this, it had been sheer luck that had saved Veronica. She knew she couldn't count on that a second time. No, she was going to have to be more proactive this time. At least Piz seemed much nicer than Benton.

Veronica gently spread the flowers around the vase, the phone now sitting on the floor at her feet. "Are you done?"

"Just finished; aren't they lovely?" Veronica smiled and came around the counter. "Thank you again, Piz. So where are we headed?"

Veronica could see Aaron getting ready to interject, but luckily Piz, who was clearly very excited, blurted out, "To dinner at my favorite place, Forage."

Veronica stared at him incredulous, "Forage?" She said loudly hoping Logan and Conner could hear, then looked down at her dress and at his suit. "Aren't we a little over dressed?"

"Oh, well yeah, maybe. But I thought we'd go to the Ace Hotel after. It has this great lounge with artisanal cocktails. Did you know it was built back in the 20s?" he asked enthusiastically.

"Um...yeah, I'm familiar. You know I'm only seventeen, right?" Veronica asked as Aaron grabbed her arm.

"What did I say, Veronica?" he hissed in her ear.

"That sounds lovely. I guess we should be going." Veronica pulled away from Aaron and stepped to Piz. "Lead the way," she said accepting his arm.

The drive downtown didn't take too long, but Veronica tried to think positively the whole time . Logan and Conner had heard where they were going and would find a way to come and get her.

"So Veronica, do you have an interest in architecture?" Piz asked.

"Not particularly. Why?"

"Well, I just thought if you did, or maybe in LA history, we could walk around tomorrow morning looking at all the cool old buildings."

"Tomorrow morning? I already have plans for tomorrow. But maybe some other time. I'm sure Conner would like to join us," Veronica added hoping to put Piz off.

"But…"

"Oh look, we're here," Veronica said, spotting the restaurant. "Can you valet? These heels are a real bear."

Veronica looked at Piz, who had been pleasant and easy going so far, but apparently that had a limit. His eyes narrowed. "You know, your father said you take a firm hand. This place doesn't valet, and I want you to walk with me," he announced firmly, pulling around the block to park.

 _Oh shit, this is going downhill fast_.

"And whatever plans you had for tomorrow morning need to be cancelled. I already booked a suite at the Ace. We'll be staying there tonight."

 _God this is Benton all over again._  Veronica took an unsteady breath; Benton had practically dragged her into his car, insisting that she would be spending the night with him. She'd been saved by an old friend of Lynn's who had stepped in and threatened to call the police. Veronica had found out later that Aaron owed Benton's father, and he'd offered her to his son as payment. It was sick, and the fact that Veronica wasn't interested hadn't put Benton off at all.

But, until just a minute ago, she would have sworn that Piz didn't seem like that kind of guy. She turned and looked at him. His cheeks were a little red, and despite his harsh tone, he looked more nervous than aggressive. Veronica waited until they parked and were out of the car; there was no way she was going to risk attempting to reject him again while still in the car.

"Piz, I don't know what my father told you, but I have a boyfriend. I won't be staying the night with you," she said firmly.

"Save the hard-to-get act. He already told me it was part of your game." Piz nodded to himself, and held the door open.

"I'm not playing hard to get. I'm not interested."

"We'll see."

* * *

Logan kicked back on the lounge chair, a cigar in one hand and a tumbler of scotch in the other. Mac and Wallace had left in his car just an hour earlier and, as much as he liked spending time with them, this was nice, too. "You know, Larkin, I'm not a big fan of drinking and partying to be honest, but this is pretty nice." Logan puffed on the cigar and admired the setting sun.

"I thought you might enjoy it. Just a couple of dudes enjoying an easy going evening while we await the return of our mistress." Conner chuckled.

"I'd wait forever for her," Logan said dreamily, before he realized what he'd said and immediately felt embarrassed.

"She's worth it. So Logan, I think it's time you and I had a little talk," Conner said, sitting up and looking at Logan.

Surprised by the sudden serious turn of the conversation, Logan sat up too. "Are you going to ask my intentions, Conner?"

"Yes. So Logan, what are your intentions?"

Logan rubbed his face and tried to gather his thoughts, "I...I think," Logan took a sip of his scotch, "I think about her all the time. Being with her is like—well, it's amazing. I can talk to her about anything and she gets all my weirdly obscure trivia. I'm happy when I'm with her."

Conner smiled warmly at him, "That's what I wanted to hear."

Logan's phone began buzzing, startling them both. Logan picked it up and showed Conner.

"That's the beach house number. Answer it," Conner said, moving to sit next to Logan.

"Veronica?"

" _Yeah, I don't have much time. Dad set me up with someone again. I don't know where we're going, and he took my phone_." Veronica's voice was low, so Logan changed to speaker phone.

"Who?" Logan asked.

" _Stosh Piznarski,"_ she whispered and Conner drew in an abrupt breath.

"Okay, I'm here with Conner. We'll—" Logan stopped speaking when he heard the phone make a loud sound. "Veronica? Veronica?" he called.

"Stop," Conner whispered, "I think she dropped the phone. Just listen."

" _Are you done?_ " Aaron's voice came across the line.

" _Just finished, aren't they lovely?_   _Thank you again, Piz. So where are we headed_?"

"Good girl," Conner breathed a sigh of relief.

" _To dinner, my favorite place, Forage_ ," a voice that sounded surprisingly familiar to Logan said.

" _Forage?_   _Aren't we a little over dressed?_ " Veronica said loudly, she must have been projecting to be sure they heard.

"Okay," Logan said softly, "Do we head there and get her?" Conner pointed back at the phone.

" _Oh, well yeah, maybe. But I thought we'd go to the Ace Hotel. It has this great lounge with artisanal cocktails. Did you know it was built back in the 20s?_ "

" _Um...yeah, I'm familiar. You know I'm only seventeen, right?_ "

Then all they could hear was the sound of shoes on tile and a few muffled words.

Conner had stood up when it became clear that they were no longer near the phone and wouldn't be getting any more information.

"So we know where they are and where they'll be headed," Logan said, trying to reassure himself that they could deal with this. After all, it was just one guy.

"Yes, but we have to handle this just right. I've met Piz, and he seemed like a nice enough guy. But the last guy Aaron offered her to wasn't. So Piz may not be at all what he seems. We need to get her out without upsetting him, because if he calls Aaron…" Conner didn't finish his sentence.

"Right, that would be bad."

"Very."

* * *

Piz had mellowed somewhat after Veronica made an effort to be more accommodating during dinner. It had been going all right, but apparently she'd done a little too good of a job, because Piz scooted his chair around to be closer to her and started casually touching her. Clasping her hand. Patting her knee. If it hadn’t been bad enough before, this touchy-feely version of Piz had Veronica completely on edge, it took all of her self control to not let him see her cringe with each touch. It was like she was reliving being with Benton in that private dining room. It had started with him moving his chair closer to hers. The same casual touches had then escalated to him trying to get her to take her dress off, so that he could have her for dessert. The arrival of a waiter had stopped him, and while Veronica knew that Piz couldn't do the same in this busy room, she still couldn't shake the memory. She decided it was time to try to cut the evening short; maybe he would just let her leave.

"Well, Piz, that dinner was really...something. But I think I should just call a cab and head home. I'm getting pretty tired," Veronica said, faking a yawn.

Piz's face hardened, "I have reservations Veronica."

 _Okay time for plan B._ "Um...fine, but I need to go to the ladies room before we go to the car." Veronica tried to give him her most innocent look.

"Okay, but hurry."

Veronica didn't need to be told twice. She stood and grabbed her clutch. Luckily, it being a Sunday hadn't diminished the number of people in the restaurant. She got into the bathroom and started digging through her clutch dramatically. "Shit," she said emphatically, turning the attention of the other women at the mirror to her. "I can't find my phone."

"Maybe you just left it at your table," a college aged girl suggested with a smile.

"No, I'm sure it wasn't," Veronica said, trying to look worried in hopes that it would get her some sympathy.

"You could try calling it," the same girl offered holding out her flip phone.

"Really? You're the best," Veronica smiled, accepting the phone. She quickly dialed Logan.

" _Hello?_ " Logan's voice answered.

"Logan? Oh my God, you have my phone. Where are you?" she asked, relief coursing through her just from the sound of his voice.

" _We're at the lounge at the Ace. Conner thought it would be easier to get you here than at the restaurant_ ," Logan assured her.

"Okay, we'll be there soon. This nice woman let me use her phone, so I should go, but I'll see you soon." Veronica hung up and took a deep breath. Logan and Conner were waiting for her, everything was going to be okay.

"Thank you. My friend has it; I guess I left it there. You're the best!" Veronica thanked the girl and headed back to meet Piz, "Okay, I'm all set. Let's head out."

Piz looked at her skeptically. Apparently her enthusiasm was too abrupt of a change, but he seemed to let it go. "I think you'll like this place. We can have a couple of cocktails before we go explore some of your other preferences."

 _Ugh, what did my dad tell this guy?_  Veronica thought back on the conversation she'd had with Piz the night before at the after party. 'Adventurous' 'outside interests'... _crap, it's like he read a bad thesaurus for sexual innuendo_. _And what was Aaron thinking? He set me up to have sex with this guy…_  Veronica gulped. That was exactly what had happened. Did Piz know that her dad was pimping out her virginity so that he could get a part in a movie? She really hoped not, because if he didn't know, he would probably be upset to be used that way. But if he did...Veronica felt herself start to shake.

A suit jacket fell onto her shoulders, "You should have worn a coat."

A wave a nausea hit Veronica at the smell of his cologne. She quickened her pace; the faster they were in the car, the sooner she would be at the Ace and back with Logan.

* * *

Logan couldn't stop fidgeting. This was a mistake. They should have gotten her at the restaurant.

"Man, I need you to calm down. You literally just talked to her. They're on their way here and he has reservations. As if you'd need them at a place like this…" Conner said, eyeing his drink with disgust.

"Yeah, but he has a room booked, too. What if they skip the lounge?" Logan pulled on the ends of his hair.

"Not going to happen. I paid off the clerk. They'll tell him the room isn't ready if he tries that. We've got this." Conner's words didn't do much to soothe Logan's nerves though.

An interminable amount of time later, though according to his phone it was only fifteen minutes, Veronica walked into the lounge on the arm of a shaggy haired guy. As they walked right past Logan and Conner's table, Veronica glanced at them. As instructed, Logan mouthed 'bathroom' and quickly got up to head to the hall where they were located. But Piz's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"You're just so small, even in the heels, I can't believe…" Piz said loudly, leading Veronica to the bar.

Logan turned back to Conner, "I overheard someone talking to him yesterday at the party. The things they said—"

"Stop, Logan. We'll deal with that later. Right now your job is to wait by the bathroom and protect Veronica. Let me deal with Piznarski." Conner gave Logan a shove.

Logan rushed to the hall and paced, earning him more than one side-eye. Finally, Veronica came striding down the hall. Her deep frown turned to a huge smile at the sight of him and she let out a sob. Logan's heart faltered as she broke into a run and jumped into his arms.

"You're here. Please get me out of here. I don't know what Aaron told this guy, but—"

"I do, and I'll tell you as soon as we have you back at Conner's, okay?" Logan buried his face in her neck, inhaling her scent, then whispered into her neck, "Conner is going to text me and let us know if we should make a break for it or if we should join them. In the meantime, I thought I'd distract us both." Veronica sucked in a breath as Logan nibbled and kissed his way down her neck. "I missed you today," he said between kisses.

"We've only been apart for maybe three hours." Veronica purred.

"Far too long," he said before capturing her lips, his tongue tracing the seam of her lips as she opened herself to him. She tasted faintly of red wine and just her. It was intoxicating. The moment was broken by the abrupt vibration of his cell phone. Logan pulled out of the kiss and rested his forehead against Veronica's. He held out the phone:

 **Conner:**  'Join us'

Logan settled Veronica back onto the ground and placed one last kiss on her lips before offering her his arm to re-enter the lounge. Veronica grinned up at him, "You have lipstick." She pointed to his face, then used her thumb to wipe it off.

Logan leaned into her touch and wrapped his arms around her again, "I was so worried."

"Me too. Let's get this over with."

Logan was careful to keep a friendly distance between himself and Veronica as they took a seat at the table now occupied by Conner and Piz.

"Veronica, is it true?" A very distressed looking Piz asked.

Conner took Veronica's hand in his, a gesture Logan wished he could offer at that moment. "Piz thought you were playing some really fucked up game with him. Your dad…" Conner let the sentence hang.

"Piz, I have no idea what he told you, but I wasn't playing a game tonight. I had no idea he had set me up with you. I'm dating Conner. And my 'outside interests' and 'adventurous nature' do not include spending the night with strangers," Veronica said matter-of-factly.

"Jesus," Logan said under his breath. He knew that something like that was what was happening, but hearing Veronica state it so concisely was disturbing.

"He's done this before, Piz. It's why Veronica moved. We need your help to make sure he doesn't find out we intervened," Conner explained in a hushed voice.

Piz nodded and took a deep pull of his drink, "I'm sorry. God, I must have seemed like a complete asshole. I'll do whatever you need me to do. I prefer my dates to actually be interested in me. And to be honest, I'm really not much for fantasy role play stuff. I'm really not all the dominant of a person. I just...well I thought you were cute, and Aaron said if I was interested I'd need to act a certain way. Why would he do that?"

Logan looked to Conner who shook his head, "We don't know, man, but this isn't a game Veronica wants to play, is it, babygirl?"

"No." Veronica said shortly, brushing her leg against Logan's under the table. "In fact, Conner, I want to go home. Piz, I'm really sorry my dad used you like this, and thank you for not being a complete psycho like the last guy."

Logan kept quiet and distant like Conner had told him to. But, as Veronica went to stand, he noticed how pale her face looked and that she was a little unsteady on her feet. Logan couldn't stop himself; he stood and wrapped an arm around her waist. "We'll be in the car while you two work out the details."

After a few steps, Veronica seemed more steady so Logan reluctantly released his hold on her, though he still didn't like how pale she looked. He pulled off his sweatshirt and helped her into it as they approached Conner's car, a black Land Rover tonight.

"I'll get in the front seat," Logan offered.

"Sit with me." Veronica's voice was small.

"There could be photographers," he warned, though he wanted nothing more than to get in the back with her.

"Don't care. I need you." Her voice was broken, and nothing would keep Logan from trying to comfort her in any way that he could.

* * *

Veronica woke to the hushed whispers of Logan and Conner.

"He promised he would give Aaron an update that was vague enough to avoid lying but would suggest that he was very happy with Veronica," Conner said.

"And Lynn?" Veronica felt Logan's arms squeeze her slightly as he lifted her out of the car.

"She's doing her best. She was working on getting Aaron called away for something press related. We won't be able to avoid him for the big Christmas Eve party, but hopefully she can keep him occupied for a couple of days."

"I feel so helpless. Maybe I was crazy to think I could help keep her safe," Logan said sadly. "I knew I should have told my dad right away." His words and the defeat in his voice drove Veronica into action.

She opened her eyes and wrapped her arms around Logan's neck, "The only thing that kept me going tonight, and that gave me hope, was knowing that you were here and trying to get to me."

"But—"

"No buts. Not after everything that happened tonight—after everything that  _could_  have happened tonight. Take me to bed," Veronica, still in Logan's arms, turned to look at Conner, "Thank you for everything. Let's save the conversation that needs to happen for tomorrow."

"Of course," Conner leaned in and kissed Veronica on the forehead. "G'night, babygirl."

Veronica watched Conner disappear into the main house while Logan continued to carry her toward the pool house. She could feel a change in Logan. He was holding her, but there was something tentative about his touch. It was as if he was retreating into himself. He carried Veronica all the way to the bedroom and gently set her down on the bed.

"I think maybe I should—" he backed away from the bed, his eyes locked on the floor.

"No, Logan, come here. I need you." Veronica tried to hold in tears that were burning the backs of her eyes.

Logan looked up, his face full of emotion, "Please don't cry. I'm right here. I just thought…"

"You thought after a night out with someone my father was trying to pimp me out to, that I would want to be alone? Logan, alone is the last thing I want." Veronica pulled in a ragged breath, "Unless you don't want to be with me anymore. I—I would understand. Maybe you could just hold me? Or I can go inside with Conner..." The first tears spilled out of her eyes, burning tracks as they slid down her cheeks.

Logan's lips pulled Veronica from the dark place her mind was trying to go. One moment there was a mile of space between them and then Logan was crushing her body against his. His hands gripped her tightly as his mouth blazed a hot trail down her neck and chest. Logan placed a soft kiss deep into the cleavage revealed by her immodest dress.

His eyes, which had been shut, fluttered open and met hers, "I want to be with you more than anything. I just thought that after earlier you wouldn't want…I mean, what your dad told Piz." Logan climbed onto the bed and lifted Veronica into his lap, "Your dad wasn't just pimping you out, Piz had no idea. He thought…" a breath shuddered out of Logan.

"He thought it was a game. He would have forced himself on me and thought I was enjoying it." Veronica felt her body shaking. She wasn't sure if she or Logan was the source of it, but of one thing she was certain, "Aaron thrives on controlling my life and making decisions on my behalf. And unfortunately, this probably won't be the last time he does something like this. Which is why I've made a decision," Veronica said, shifting around on Logan's lap to straddle his hips. "I want my first time to be with someone I lo–care about and who cares about me. I'm not going to let Aaron take this decision away from me."

Veronica wrapped her arms around Logan's neck and kissed him deeply, rocking her body against his when he started to respond. His hands slowly massaged her thighs, working up higher and higher until he had grasped her hips. They both moaned as Logan ground their bodies together, then he abruptly pulled Veronica's dress over her head. The almost predatory look in Logan's eyes as he took in her bare chest sent a shiver up Veronica's spine.

"You are so beautiful." Logan's entire face softened, "Are you sure about this?" He took a deep breath and then placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, "I don't want to hurt you."

Veronica reached for the hem of Logan's shirt and tugged it over his head, "I'm sure, and you won't hurt me; we can go slow?" She asked a little nervously. Logan swallowed.  _He's nervous, too_ , Veronica thought with a little relief.

"Yes, slow. Um...foreplay, lots of foreplay," Logan said, a blush appearing on his cheeks as he ducked his head shyly.

Veronica smiled. That he was feeling out of sorts made her feel so much more comfortable. She felt a wave of heat rush through her as she remembered how it had felt when Logan had touched her the night before, "Your hands...and mouth?" she asked, emboldened by how the memory made her feel.

Logan leaned in and rested his face in the crook of her neck, placing a few gentle kisses there. "Definitely. Anything you want."

"Everything, Logan, I want everything; now kiss me," she said desperately.

Logan's hands grasped her hips, holding her tight. His lips, warm and soft, opened to her as his hand slipped between them. His knuckles lightly grazed over the lacy fabric of her thong, causing her to gasp against his lips. Then his lips traveled down her neck, nipping and licking as he went. His mouth reached her breast, and his tongue slowly circled her nipple and then, with gentle pressure, he sucked it into his mouth. Veronica arched into Logan's mouth, her movement caused him to press his hand more firmly into her core and stole her breath.

Logan pulled his knees in and lifted Veronica off his lap, laying her out on her back. Veronica raised up, bracing on her elbows, to watch as Logan got off the bed and removed his jeans and boxers in one seamless motion. Veronica took in Logan's body, broad shoulders, and the hard planes of his muscles—his desire for her was evident.

"You're going to kill me," Logan groaned, drawing her eyes back to his.

"No, I think it's you who might kill me," Veronica giggled nervously.

"You keep looking at me like that and I'm going to have a very hard time going slow." He smirked and stepped to her, grabbing Veronica's ankles and gently tugging her to the edge of the bed. A wolfish smile graced his face as he reached for the scrap of lace that was all that was left between them. "You said hands and mouth, right?" he asked, his voice husky.

Veronica nodded. She watched his gaze travel over her body, and a wave of goosebumps sent a tingle through her whole body.

Logan leaned over her, his lips pressing gently below her ear, "And that was just from looking at you." His warm breath sent a new wave of sensation from her ear directly to her core. Then his weight and warmth above her abruptly disappeared. Veronica's disappointment melted away at the feel of Logan's mouth on her. Points of heat surged through her where the pads of his fingers held her hips. Time lost meaning as her heart raced. Her breaths came almost too rapidly and then she was flying, her whole body hyper-aware and tight, and then warm and relaxed—a mass of pure bliss.

"Amazing," she breathed, before giggling as Logan kissed his way up her stomach, stopping the tickle her ribs.

"Yes, it was." He smiled down at her, and then a crease formed between his brows. "We don't have to do more than that, Veronica. We can stop there," he said seriously, breaking the lightness of moments before.

Veronica reached for Logan, pulling him tight against her and urging him further up the bed. "I know we don't have to, but I want to. I want to be with you Logan." She reached her hand between them and carefully stroked along his length, "And something tells me you want me, too," she said as Logan groaned against her neck, his hips tipping to meet her hand. His reaction made her feel brave and sexy; she loved that she could bring that out in him.

"So much. I have…" he gulped loudly as she stroked him again, "condoms in my bag. Give me a second," he said, reluctantly climbing off the bed.

Veronica admired how gracefully Logan moved, his golden skin taut across firm muscles.

"Like what you see?" he asked cockily, tossing a strip of condoms onto the nightstand as he climbed back on the bed.

"Confident much?" Veronica teased, looking at what must have been at least six condoms.

"I like to be prepared," Logan blushed. "Better to have them close."

"You're such a boy scout," Veronica said, sitting up to kiss him.

He met her kiss and moved to kiss her neck again. "Badges I'm looking forward to earning," he said as he moved to lay face-to-face with Veronica.

Veronica's head rested on one arm while Logan wrapped the other around her waist, holding her close. After a few moments, he tilted his forehead to rest against hers. Still staring into Veronica's eyes, the hand that had been resting at her waist began to slide down her thigh. The move that only minutes earlier would have set off a wave of goosebumps and tickled, now felt heavy and intense. Logan hitched her knee over his hip, his hard length pressed against her core, and he moved, sliding them against each other. Veronica took a shaky breath as pleasure coursed through her and Logan moaned into her mouth, kissing her slowly and deeply.

He broke the kiss with a ragged breath and rolled Veronica on to her back. Distantly she heard the sound of foil tearing, but her mind was too occupied with the comfortable weight of Logan's body over hers and then the feel of his hands returning to her. One hand cupped her face as he moved to kiss her again, and the other moved between their bodies. She felt a pressure and friction that was becoming familiar as he pushed first one and then another finger into her, waiting until she relaxed into his touch before moving again.

Logan broke their kiss and stared into her eyes. Veronica felt herself fall into his eyes, so dark, full of lust, adoration, and maybe something more. "Ready?" he asked against her lips.

"Yes. Please, Logan," Veronica sighed as his hand moved away and then he pushed into her slowly. Veronica clenched her eyes shut and gasped at the much more substantial intrusion.

Logan stilled above her. "Are you okay?" A soft kiss pressed against her cheek. "Baby, open your eyes." Veronica hesitantly complied. "Take a deep breath." His eyes burned with intensity, his focus fully on her. The weight of emotions and flesh was almost too much for her to take.

Veronica drew in a slow, deep breath and felt some of her tension release. She adjusted her body slightly and that too-full feeling eased as Logan moved deeper into her. Veronica realized with surprise that Logan being deeper in her felt better than when he hadn't been; an unexpected giggle escaped her, causing friction between them and sending a wave of unexpected pleasure through her.

"Ahh, Veronica, stop laughing; it feels too good," Logan moaned, his eyes squeezing shut.

Veronica took a few more slow deep breaths and then she stroked Logan's cheek, causing his eyes to open slowly. "You feel so good, Logan. I just didn't expect…" She took a startled breath as Logan rolled his hips, "God, Logan, I didn't expect it to feel so good."

"I hoped," Logan said breathlessly, capturing Veronica's mouth in a drugging kiss as he started to move slowly.

Veronica felt so connected to Logan in the moment but also like she was having an out of body experience. One second she was completely with Logan, and the next she was trying to contemplate how this was happening. It was supposed to hurt; there were supposed to be tearful declarations. But what she was experiencing was so much more than any of her expectations could have prepared her for—there was laughter at awkward moments, moans and expletives when they both managed to move just right with each other. And while the first time didn't last long, Veronica was delighted to find that round two wasn't a far off dream steeped in soreness and exhaustion but more a glass of water and a catching of breath.

* * *

Logan padded to the bathroom, discarding the spent condom and grabbing two glasses of water. He was still breathing heavily and feeling shocked at the evening's turn of events. Not once during the past two weeks had he thought he'd be here, like this, with Veronica Echolls. Not yet.

One glass rapidly gulped down, Logan walked back into the bedroom and crawled to Veronica. Despite not coming, she looked happy and relaxed. It was a state he loved seeing her in, but it left him with a new goal for the rest of the night.

"Water?" he asked, passing her the glass.

"I don't think I've ever wanted anything more," she grinned.

"Oh, that sounds like a challenge." Logan threw himself back on the bed to catch his breath.

After a few moments, and a loud clank of the glass being set on the nightstand, Veronica's small form curled up to Logan's side. Her skin was hot and a little sticky, and her hair a mess, but Logan couldn't imagine wanting her any other way. He felt his blood travel south and moved to kiss Veronica. Taking advantage of the little 'oh' she exclaimed as he claimed her lips. Logan moved back over her, pressing his returning erection against her center.

Veronica gasped, "You're–um…"

"Ready for round two," Logan smirked playfully, then kissed her softly, "But only if you want to."

Veronica returned his kiss, rolled away and grabbed another condom, surprising Logan as she quickly rolled it onto him. Concerned that she might be sore from earlier, Logan pushed into her very carefully, but found no resistance from Veronica or her body. Instead she started to giggle again. "If you keep laughing every time we do this, I'm going to get a complex," he teased her. He didn't mean it at all, and actually relished in her beautiful laughter.

"I just thought we'd be done, you know?" She squirmed.

Logan moaned at the sensation and huffed out, "No, I don't know."

"Oh, that you'd pass out and I'd be in pain. But—"

Logan grabbed hold of Veronica tightly and rolled them so that Veronica was on top. His hands held her hips. "But I'm feeling frisky and you're not hurting too badly?"

"Exactly. How is that possible?" she sighed as Logan thrust up into her, causing her to bounce in a delightful way.

"Proper preparation and years of surfing," he winked up at her, and then helped her set a pace that had them both panting and uttering sounds of pleasure.

Logan could feel himself getting close but wanted her to come while he was inside her; he wanted to give her as much pleasure as she was giving him. He reached between their bodies and watched, enraptured, as Veronica threw her head back, her breasts thrust forward, and her body clamped down in orgasm, bringing Logan's release with hers.

Logan collapsed back onto the bed, his breath ragged and muscles liquified. Veronica fell onto his chest, her heart beating fast and hard against Logan.

They lay there, regaining equilibrium, for so long that Logan worried they might have broken each other. Then suddenly Veronica pulled back.

"Hey! You brought like a whole box of condoms on this trip." She smacked him on the arm.

Shocked, Logan continued to try to catch his breath. "What?" he asked, confused.

"The condoms. You have a whole box of them," she accused, amusement clear in her tone.

"Oh that," Logan laughed. "And aren't you happy I did? What if I'd only had one in my wallet?" he winked. "And anyway, I like to always be prepared." He held up two, then three fingers in salute, continuing her boy scout teasing from earlier. "I didn't mean anything by it. Actually, they were already in that duffle. It's not like I can just leave condoms in my nightstand drawer; I've had enough 'talks' from my dad to last a lifetime. And while I certainly wasn't expecting  _this_ , I have to say I'm really glad I had them. Having to run into the house to ask Conner is definitely not on my list of things I ever want to have to do."

Veronica collapsed back onto his chest, giggling, "He'd have put the fear of God in you but would have been secretly thrilled."

"I know  _I'm_  thrilled." Logan kissed her temple and rolled out of bed quickly. "Don't go anywhere. You're gonna get your brains spooned out whether you like it or not, but first…"

"More water?" Veronica called as Logan headed for the bathroom.

"Yes, dear, more water."

Logan downed a full glass of water in three long gulps and then filled the glass for Veronica. He'd just shut off the water when he heard the sound of his phone ringing.

"Logan, your phone," Veronica called. He peeked his head around the corner to see his very naked girlfriend crawl across the bed; he was too distracted by the sight of her to think straight. "It's 'Wallace home'. Doesn't he know we're having sexy times? I'm gonna have to have a word with him," she giggled. Logan's mind caught up with his ears just as she pressed the button to answer the call.

"Veronica,  _no_ , it's—"

But he was too late, "Wallace, you're lucky you didn't call a few minutes earlier, because—" she stopped short and turned an astonished gaze his way.

"Yeah, 'Wallace home' means it's Alicia or…"

"Sheriff Mars!" Veronica piped up with surprise into the phone and then whispered to Logan, "We need to work on communication." Back into the phone she said, "Oh yes, we're all at Conner's...did you want to talk to Logan?" There was a pause, and Logan cringed, wondering what his father was saying to her. "Sure, I'll put him on," she said with a huge blush and handed Logan his phone.

"Hey, Dad!" Logan tried to sound casual as he sat down on the bed and handed Veronica her water.

" _Number One Son, it's late. I thought Veronica was staying at her parents' house. And I thought you were spending time with Wallace and Mac. Imagine my surprise when I come to Alicia's after my shift to find Wallace here and you...still in LA."_

"Right, I meant to send you a text. Veronica had family night tonight and Conner had some interview that I tagged along on," Logan lied evenly.  _I lie to him all the time; why does this time feel so much worse than usual._  He looked over at Veronica naked on the bed and didn't have to wonder anymore. "Veronica stopped by after dinner because her parents met up with some Hollywood types." Logan choked slightly as Veronica pressed herself against him from behind and placed lazy kisses on the back of his neck. "Her mom's on her way; she's heading home in five minutes, in fact," Logan hoped his old man believed him.

" _All right, then. Remember, Son, trust is earned, so give Veronica my regards as you're shaking her hand good night, and I'll be sure to call unexpectedly again,"_ his father's tone told Logan that he hadn't bought a word of the story, but wasn't going to press him further.

"Will do," Logan shrugged Veronica off of his neck so he could think clearly enough for a moment to finish the call. The bit about trust had hit home. His dad always knew just what to say to make Logan feel terrible. "Thanks for trusting me. I'm sorry; I really should have called. I was just having fun and lost track of time."

" _I understand, and I'm glad. I just want to know where you are. I love you, Logan."_ He didn't sound mad.

"I love you, too, Dad. I'll be home by dinner tomorrow, I promise." Logan hung up the phone, and Veronica resumed her nuzzling of his neck. "Sorry about that," he murmured, feeling both embarrassed by his father's call and turned on by his girlfriend. Lust won out. "So, where were we?" Logan smiled, ducking his head so that his mouth met hers.


	8. On the eighth day of Christmas, the sheriff gave to me...eight awkward minutes when he got all interogat-y

**Chapter 8: On the eighth day of Christmas, the sheriff gave to me...eight awkward minutes when he got all interogat-y**

* * *

**Monday, December 20th**

Veronica woke with a heavy sense of calm. Logan's hot body was wrapped tightly around hers, and she'd never felt more at home. She stretched her limbs and arched her back, revealing that her muscles were a little sore, but it was a pleasant soreness—the result of use, not of pain. Logan hadn't stirred, so Veronica carefully extracted herself from his arms. He woke just as she was about to roll away from him.

"Where do you think you're going?" Logan mumbled sleepily, pulling her back into him.

"Water, bathroom, and I thought I'd go check in with Conner before he has to leave for the set," Veronica replied and kissed Logan before extracting herself again.

"Okay, but don't be gone long." His voice was muffled because he'd buried his face in her pillow.

Veronica quickly rummaged through her bag until she found the a pair of fleece lounge pants and Logan's sweatshirt that she'd brought with her. She grabbed the t-shirt of Logan's that she'd worn the day before and pulled it on on her way into the bathroom. After dressing and running a brush through her hair, she waved to Logan as she left the pool house and made her way into Conner's living room.

"Well, if it isn't the extraordinary Veronica Echolls. Have you come to take my coffee?" Conner teased from the kitchen.

"You caught me, Larkin. I'm all about your beans." Veronica skipped into the kitchen and hugged Conner.

"Well, someone's in a good mood this morning," Conner said, holding Veronica out at arm's-length to look at her fully. "You're glowing."

Veronica blushed, "I must have gotten some sun yesterday."

"You got _something_  yesterday." Conner smirked. "Am I right to think that you and Logan decided to take things further last night?" he asked, a soft smile on his face.

"Yeah," Veronica looked down at her feet and leaned a shoulder into Conner as he walked them to the breakfast bar.

"Everything okay? 'Cause if cuddling was the best part, I can talk to him," Conner teased.

"Don't get me wrong...the cuddling was great, but no, it wasn't the best part." Veronica couldn't hold in a giggle, then turned a little solemn. "It's just that after everything that's happened the past few weeks, I just...I wanted my first time having sex to be with someone I love, you know? And I know Logan cares about me."

"You just said 'love' in regards to Logan Mars. You realize that, right?" He raised his eyebrows excitedly. "That's huge!"

"Shhh...don't make a big deal out of it," she rolled her eyes and pushed at his chest playfully before climbing up onto the bar stool.

Conner pushed a few loose strands of hair off her face, "Have you told him?" She shook her head. "V, I'm pretty sure he more than just cares about you."

Veronica couldn't hold in her smile, "I think so, too. I—"

Conner held his hand to her mouth, "Don't say anything more. Don't worry about tomorrow or next week or any of it. Enjoy today. In fact, no one is expecting you or Logan back in Neptune until dinner, right?"

Veronica nodded.

"Excellent. My yacht is over at Marina del Rey. Why don't you two take it to Catalina today? Get lunch, hangout paparazzi-free. And then just take it back to Neptune. I'll set it up. The Albacore Club is the marina there right?"

Veronica nodded, "Really? You'd trust me with your baby?" Veronica laughed.

"Yes, Veronica, considering you're the one who talked me into getting her  _and_  taught me how to pilot her. I'm pretty sure I can trust you and Logan. Now go wake up lover-boy. I need to head out, but you'll call me tonight, right? We still have some other things to discuss."

"Yes, sir." Veronica smiled and kissed Conner on the cheek, "I'll call tonight after I get home. Oh crap, my phone!" Veronica facepalmed. "Aaron made me leave it at the beach house."

Conner shook his head and indicated a phone charging on the counter. "No, Lynn had it messengered over. It arrived a while ago," he said.

Veronica skipped over to her phone and unplugged it. "Thanks for charging it, Conner; you're the best." She stepped back over to him and kissed him on the cheek. "You're still coming down for the dreaded Christmas Eve party right?"

"You know I wouldn't miss it. I'll have John take you up in like an hour. Now scoot or I'm going to be late." Conner gave Veronica a quick hug and sent her back to the pool house.

* * *

Logan stretched his tired body; each ache reminded him of the previous night. It had been so much more than he could have ever hoped for. Logan let his mind wander as he relaxed back against the pillows. Being a teenage boy, of course sex regularly crossed his mind; sex with Veronica had been a recurring daydream since he'd met her. And to actually be with her had been both amazing and unexpected.

Logan rolled out of bed and decided to take a shower while he waited for Veronica to return. The water was almost instantly hot.  _I love the lap of luxury_ , he mused as he stepped into the stream. He stuck his face into the warm water and braced his hands on the cool tile behind the shower head, letting the water beat against his shoulders and back. The water cascaded down his face as Logan turned and reached for the shampoo. He was surprised when, instead of cool plastic, his fingers met with warm soft flesh. "You're not the shampoo." He smirked and wiped the water away from his face.

"No, and I don't think I'll be much help getting you clean," Veronica teased, the bottle of shampoo in her hands. "You want this?"

Logan reached out for Veronica and pulled her close, "Hm...maybe later. There's something else I want first." He reached behind her thighs and lifted her up, her legs immediately wrapped around his waist. He quickly pressed her against the cool tiles of the shower and started kissing across her clavicle, savoring each little noise that she made. Logan reached between them, wanting to have her just like this. But then reality came crashing down. "Shit," he said, frustrated.

"What's wrong?" Veronica panted. When her hand coming into view, Logan saw a foil packet held between her fingers. "You're not the only one who comes prepared." She ripped the packet open with her teeth and Logan was sure it was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen.

"God, I love you!" The words left his mouth before his internal filter could kick in. Logan, still holding her against the tile, felt his cheeks flush and buried his face in Veronica's shoulder.

When Logan felt Veronica's body shaking, he to pulled back and look at her. She had a huge smile on her face and was laughing. "I knew it!"

"That's all I get, 'I knew it' and more laughing at me? I was kidding before about the complex, but maybe not—"

"Shut up, you idiot. I love you, too!"

And then Veronica was kissing him and lost all ability to speak. Logan rolled on the condom and slid inside her, lost. Veronica's hot body was tight against his, both their bodies frantic for more contact, "I love you." Logan looked deep into her eyes, seeing his emotions reflected back as they both lost control. "I love you."

* * *

Veronica slowly rubbed her wet hair with a towel while she watched Logan shave. It was a strangely domestic moment, and not something she'd expected to experience anytime soon. But it was peaceful and comforting to do such normal things with her boyfriend; her boyfriend whom she loved and who loved her. She felt a wave of heat rush through her.  _I'm in love._

"If you keep looking at me like that, we're never going to make it out of the bathroom," Logan teased as he washed the last of the soap off his face.

"Oh right, I actually came in here to ask you something, before we…" she trailed off, suddenly feeling shy.

"Before we declared our love for each other and had wild monkey sex in shower," he finished for her, stepping into her personal space and ducking down almost to her eye level.

"Mmmhmm, that." Logan took the towel out of her hands and was slowly pushing her hair back when Veronica remembered that she was actually trying to tell him something. "Hey, none of that." She stepped back. "I came out to tell you Conner offered us his yacht for the day."

Logan looked at her skeptically, "A yacht? And what are we going to do with this yacht?"

"Well, I had this crazy idea; I thought we could go out to Catalina Island. Have lunch. Walk along the beach. Hold hands. You know, a date?" Veronica offered nervously.

"Really? Like an actual date where we do stuff together and don't have to act like we aren't a couple?"

"Yep, one of those." Veronica smiled.

"But what if someone recognizes you?" Logan asked, his hands running up and down Veronica arms.

"I think it'll be fine. We'll be completely out of context there. And honestly, I don't care anymore. If we get outed, fine. Conner actually thought it would be fun to stage a big public breakup." Veronica huffed remembering how Conner had wanted to set her up as the bad guy.

"Well, Ms. Echolls, I would love to spend the day yachting with you." He kissed her softly on the forehead. "I do have to be back by dinner time, though. My dad is expecting me." Logan led Veronica back into the bedroom and started digging through his clothes. "It's going to be so weird not being together tonight."

Veronica smiled weakly, "Yeah, maybe I can sneak in your window like Mac used to do."

Logan turned to her, his jeans on but open, the V cut by his lower abs clearly visible; Veronica licked her lips at the sight.  _What is wrong with me? We just had sex less than ten minutes ago._

"I would like that very much. But I'm not so sure we could conceal our little sleepovers as easily as Mac and I did. You're noisy," Logan smirked, pulling his t-shirt on and doing up his jeans. "There, distraction concealed."

Veronica gaped at him, "I was not distracted. And who says I would be noisy? Maybe I just want to cuddle."

"You can't fool me, Echolls, my eyes are up here." Logan laughed pointing at his face. "When do we head out? What's the plan?"

"The plan is that Conner's assistant, John, will drive us out to Marina del Rey. We'll take the yacht to Avalon, and then we can pilot it back to the Albacore Club. Conner will set up getting it back to Marina del Rey," Veronica explained.

"Wow, is this what it's like to be rich? You get to do whatever crazy thing you want, whenever you want?"

"Um...sometimes. Yeah, I guess so. There are a lot of things money can make happen," Veronica said, feeling out of place...off beat. She and Logan hadn't really discussed money before, and she wasn't sure it was a discussion she was ready to have. In fact, in just a few short months she wasn't sure she would even have any money at all, which made it a conversation not worth having anyway. Suddenly uncomfortable, she turned back to her bag. She'd just begun stuffing the rest of her clothes into it when big warm hands wrapped around her waist.

"Hey, I didn't mean anything by it. It's just, I've never yachted to Catalina on a whim. Actually, I've never been to Catalina at all," Logan said softly, holding her against him.

But Veronica still felt tense. Logan couldn't have known it, but people being drawn to her because of Aaron's fame and wealth was one of her major insecurities, "Don't get used to it. As soon as I turn eighteen and can get away from Aaron, all the luxury will most likely disappear."

Logan turned her in his arms and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. She felt the tension in her body melt away with the tender gesture. "I'm not with you for your money. I love you, Veronica. Just you. Not any of this other stuff. When you turn eighteen we'll figure it out. Remember, I come from a working class family. I'll help you get a job or whatever. And, besides, college doesn't require wealth; there are work study and scholarships...even the dreaded student loans. Tons of people do it all the time; you can too."

Veronica looked up at Logan as he spoke, it was clear he meant every word. She swallowed hard, "It scares me, you know."

"Of course it does. It's the unknown. But I'm going to let you in on a secret," Logan said softly, his lips brushing against the shell of Veronica's ear. "You won't be alone." He placed a gentle kiss below her ear, his lips trailed down her jaw and nipped playfully at her chin.

Veronica lowered her hands and ran them down Logan's sides and hips, finally reaching behind and gripping his ass as she pulled him sharply to her. "Somehow I think if you had the option you'd never leave me alone," she teased.

"Damn straight!" Logan pulled out of Veronica's grasp. "But right now, I need to get us out of here. Or our ride is going to arrive and before we're decent." He bent down and grabbed both of their bags. "Now, am I right in assuming that this yacht has a berth which likely contains a bed and will afford us privacy?"

"You are quite right." Veronica smirked.

"Then lead the way, sugarpuss, because I am envisioning a day of bad pirate speak and pillaging."

Veronica shook her head but opened the door for Logan, "Sugarpuss? Really Logan? Please give me a better pet name than that. Or, better yet, no pet name at all," she growled.

"Come on…" Logan's eyes drew together as he walked through the door. He was barely on the patio when he spun with a huge grin, "Come on, Bobcat! You love it when I call you cute names."

Veronica pulled her arm back to smack him on the shoulder, but Logan danced away from her. He managed to keep all of their bags balanced and his shit-eating grin never left his face.

"You're going to pay for that one, Mars!"

"I'm counting on it, Bobcat! I'm counting on it."

* * *

Logan sat back and enjoyed the warmth of the sun as Veronica steered them into the marina at Avalon. The hour-long trip had gone by in a flash. Veronica had shown him how to pilot the yacht and they'd just spent the time enjoying the freedom of acting like normal teenagers away from prying eyes—stealing kisses and casual touches.

"Hey, daydreamer, time to disembark," Veronica called, breaking Logan out of his little reverie.

"Aye aye, Captain," he replied, giving her a little salute.

"You think you're so cute," Veronica teased.

"I am cute. And you're cute. Just imagine our children. The world will bow down to their cuteness." The words flowed out of Logan's subconscious unbidden.

"Our children?" Veronica's voice broke.

Logan blushed, his whole body turning hot in embarrassment. "Um...that was out loud, huh?" Veronica nodded, and Logan decided there was only one option—brazen through it. "Well, that doesn't make it any less true," he said, jumping onto the dock and offering his hand to Veronica. At the last second he grabbed her waist and twirled her onto the dock then set her down. "Okay, Echolls, where are we headed?"

Veronica simply pointed toward the town. Logan couldn't help chuckling; he'd unintentionally left her speechless. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down the dock in the direction she had pointed. Veronica silently walked along with Logan, clearly deep in thought. They reached the end of the dock and Logan stopped, hoping she was ready to return to Earth.

"Veronica, baby?" She turned her big blue eyes, which were swimming with tears, up to his face.  _Shit!_ "Bobcat, are you okay?" Logan cupped her jaw and smoothed his thumb across her cheek.

Veronica stepped into his chest and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. "Kids. Logan, what if I don't ever want kids?" The words came out barely above a whisper.

Logan held Veronica to him, realizing the minefield he'd just dropped them both into. He wracked his brain for a response that wouldn't make things worse. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "We're barely seventeen. Let's not worry about that right now, Veronica. I was just teasing you."

Veronica tilted her head up from where it was resting on Logan's chest. "But—"

"No buts. Seriously. I wasn't thinking. My inner-monologue filter cut out briefly. Let's pretend I was describing in detail the inspiration that seeing you naked gives me."

Veronica chuckled and stepped out of his arms, holding her hand out to him. "Just you and me? Everyone else can find the rectangle with the knob?"

"Yep, or evaporate or something. I know the future seems uncertain, but I meant what I said," Logan insisted, letting Veronica pull them away from the marina as they walked into town. "So where are we headed?"

"Original Jack's Country Kitchen!" Veronica said, her tone evoking the cheerleader Logan knew she had once been. "Just remember, I'm allergic to shellfish so no crab eggs Benedict for you unless you don't want to kiss me for a day or so."

"Oh, so that's what I need to do if I need to keep you off me?"

"Only your mouth." She winked, dropped his hand and skipped away.

_Slippery minx!_

* * *

Still reeling from Logan's casual comment about children, Veronica tried to focus on getting them to her favorite 'step above a greasy spoon' place. It was still early enough that they could order breakfast, but late enough to order lunch food if Logan wanted. Not to mention that it lacked the pretension of the places her parents would have insisted on.  _Distraction is the name of the game_ , Veronica chanted in her head.

Veronica pulled Logan into the diner and, since business wasn't exactly popping on a Monday during the off-season, the hostess seated them quickly. Veronica focused all of her attention on the menu, despite already knowing that she would order the Country Breakfast. It wasn't necessarily her goto, but she was exhausted after all the 'activities' she and Logan had been engaging in. The high protein breakfast was calling her name.

She let images and memories of the previous night flash through her mind: that morning in the shower, and on the yacht before they'd even left the marina.  _It's a miracle I can even walk_ , she thought. She giggled at the fact that she'd been so shaky on her legs earlier that she'd had to sit in the captain's chair. Despite the plushness of the leather seat, even that had been a little uncomfortable.

"What has you giggling over there?" Logan asked, his voice sweet, a smile filling his handsome face.

"You." Veronica smiled shyly.

"Me. Lil' old me?" he teased, grasping her hand.

"Yeah. I just never expected…" Veronica gestured wildly, trying to encompass all that was the space they inhabited and experiences of the last few days.

"Me neither. I…" Logan's cheeks darkened, "Me neither."

"For someone so lacking of expectations, you sure know how to perform." The words fell from Veronica's lips before she could reel them back in.

Logan continued to hold her hand, but his eyes turned to the window that looked out to the street. He nodded but said nothing.

"Hey kids. G'mornin'. Somethin' to drink?" The waitress asked, a broad smile gracing her face.

"Um...Orange juice and coffee."

"I'll have the same," Logan replied, a tight smile now on his face, "Um...Bo-Veronica, are you ready to order?"

"Oh, sure. The Country Breakfast. Avocado on the side, please," Veronica ordered, and was surprised by the genuine smile that replaced the grimace Logan had moments earlier.

"I'm going to have the same. And my girlfriend is allergic to shellfish. Can you let the chef know?"

Veronica beamed. She usually let staff know, but he'd beaten her to it. Her heart swelled. Their waitress smiled softly, "You got it, honey. I'll let 'em know," and walked away.

"Ver—" "—Lo"

Veronica laughed softly, "You first."

"We haven't really discussed my  _experience_. I—" Logan gulped and took a long drink of his water their waitress had brought. "I haven't told you anything about my...um...Lianne, have I?"

"No. Lianne? A girlfriend?" Veronica asked, a sense of dread spreading through her.

Logan laughed harshly, "No. No, Veronica. Not a girlfriend. I guess I never said her name. Lianne is my mother." He shook his head, "The woman, who lied to me and my dad, who almost destroyed everything," he said sadly, and then smiled. "Sorry, that sounds super melodramatic. She didn't destroy anything. But I was only fourteen. At the time I thought my world was falling down around me. Now, not so much."

Veronica reached out her hand, taking Logan's in hers as he had done earlier. "I'm familiar with having bad parents," she tried to reassure him.

"So, you remember how I told you she had an affair with Lilly and Duncan's dad?" Veronica nodded. "Well, I was a little out of control after that. Lianne, my mom, left, and I was um...acting out. So my dad sent me to be a junior counselor at this camp I used to go to when I was younger. Anyway...even the junior counselors have quite a bit of freedom."

Veronica looked into Logan's eyes, he was clearly nervous, "Not that I'm not interested in what you're sharing, but I don't understand why you're telling me when you seem so...reluctant?"

"The way you said performance. We...we talked about your experience, but not mine. I want to be honest. I don't want..." Logan dropped his head to rest on his forearm where it rested on the table top.

"It's okay. I figured you'd had sex before. This isn't a fairytale," Veronica said confidently, truly meaning it.

Logan tilted his head, looking up at Veronica through thick eyelashes, "I dunno, Veronica, I rescued you last night and then we made love—that feels like a fairytale to me." His eyes were warm and soft, his tone left no doubt that he was completely serious.

Veronica slid out of her side of the booth and joined Logan. She slipped under his arm and cuddled into his side until she felt like they couldn't get any closer in such a public place. "Tell me if you want to—or not. Either way, it's just part of who you are. And I love you. Whatever it is won't change that. Let me guess...she was older than you, had big boobs, and was named Caitlin."

A soft kiss pressed against Veronica forehead, "She  _was_  older and she  _might_  have had big boobs. She was one of the senior student counselors. Stephanie. I think she could tell I was spinning out of control and she gave me a...distraction."

"How much older?" Veronica asked, no judgement in her question.

"Seventeen. But I've always looked older than I am. She didn't know I was only fourteen until later. But she did a lot more for me. Um...we still talk sometimes."

Veronica nodded, "Do you still have feelings for her?"

Logan laughed dryly, "Bobcat, I never had feelings for her. Not like that. She's a friend that I had sex with a few times and was kind enough to teach me a few lessons." Logan pulled Veronica closer to him, "Like that ladies always come first," he whispered against the shell of her ear, sending a wave of heat straight to Veronica's center.

"Is she the only…" Veronica trailed off. She was too nervous to finish her question.

"No, but she was the only one that mattered. I had a couple of other um...bedroom buddies. But they weren't relationships or really even friendships. And very short lived. No one has ever made me feel like you do."

"Okay, kids. Breakfast is served." Their waitress returned with huge plates of bacon, sausage, ham, eggs, and hashbrowns. There were two additional servers holding plates.

"I guess I'd better go back to my side. I don't think there's room for all our plates on just one side," Veronica said self-consciously.

Logan grabbed her hand and kissed it, then turned to the waitstaff, "Thank you. This looks great."

* * *

Logan caressed the small of Veronica's back as they stood together, waiting for the shuttle that was going to take them to the next activity Veronica had planned.

"Bobcat, what is it we're doing next?" Logan asked; she has evaded the question twice already.

"Broadening our horizons."

"Will Noam Chomsky be reading the Havana phone book? 'Cause I actually already saw him do that once," Logan teased.

"No, smarty pants." She shoved him gently, "We're going to be creating. Memory-forming. Meaning-making. Bonding," Veronica said, her voice husky.

Logan's mouth went dry, "Is that your way of saying you want to go back to the boat? 'Cause my answer is 'yes'."

"It's a yacht. And no, this isn't a booty call. We're going to be using our hands. Getting dirty," she smirked.

"All I'm hearing is 'let's have sex.'" Logan leaned in and kissed Veronica on the nose. "But seriously, there are a few more badges I need to earn before we go home where I can't hold you all night. The idea of not waking up next to you…" Logan shook his head, he felt a physical pain at the thought.

"Me too. But first. We're going to make—"

"Love not war?"

"No, dork. We're going to make pottery. Something you can show those cute kids someday. And say, 'well, before I met your mom I knew this really hot, famous, chick, and we made these together.'"

Logan smirked, "Veronica, the only kids I'll be showing these to are our kids. Or our cats?" Veronica shrugged, "Dogs?" Veronica nodded. Logan wrapped his arm around Veronica's shoulders and pulled her close as the shuttle pulled to a stop in front of them. "I meant what I said. And I'll keep telling you until you believe me. I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

When Veronica and Logan trolled into the Albacore Club, Conner's man was waiting for them. Veronica saw him from a distance as he waved them over to a slip.

She reluctantly looked back at Logan with a sigh. "Ready to get back to Neptune? Back to reality?" She tried to put on a brave face. Logan reached out and stroked the side of her face. She honestly couldn't imagine going back to her lonely house after the weekend she'd spent with him.

"No, not really," he admitted, but he looked calm. "It's going to be hard to go back to not touching you whenever I'd like."

Veronica nodded and pulled herself out of his grasp. She brought her focus back to sailing the boat. It kept her hands busy so that she wouldn't reach out for Logan. Veronica eased the yacht into the slip and Conner's man moored the yacht securely for her.

"Hey, John, it's been a while." Veronica smiled at the man as he stepped onboard. "Thanks for coming, are you stuck down here now?"

"No, no," John assured her with a smile. "I caught a ride down and will be taking the boat back to Marina del Rey in a few hours."

"Well, thanks for doing this for me. I really appreciate it."

"No problem at all. I'll take any excuse to spend an afternoon on the water. Have a nice day, Miss Echolls." John tipped his head to her, and with a glance at Logan, began checking the boat. Logan grabbed their bags and hopped off of the boat before turning to help her down. It was unnecessary, but she enjoyed the contact nonetheless. His hands lingered on her waist longer than was needed, and she blushed at the shiver that went through her. She resisted the urge to kiss him and took a step around him to pick up one bag.  _This is going to be impossible if he can't touch me without me wanting to rip his clothes off._

Veronica felt herself feeling a little down as they walked toward dryland. Reality was setting in, and she wasn't looking forward to it. The sight of Logan's yellow SUV pulling into the parking lot of the marina cheered her up a bit. When the Xterra pulled to a stop, Mac smiled and waved to them from the passenger seat.  _Buck up, Echolls,_  she told herself sternly.  _You can't get down about things when so much is going right in your life. You've got real, trustworthy friends. This is what you've wanted forever._  She waved back and picked up the pace. When she got close, Mac got out of the SUV and threw her arms around her and Logan.

"Heya, lovebirds, your taxi awaits," Wallace called out from the driver's seat.

"Hi, Wallace!" Veronica let go of Mac to reach across the passenger seat and gave Wallace a hug, too. Then Veronica popped out of the car again. "Logan, you take shotgun. I want to spend some time with Mac." She grabbed Mac by the hand and swung the backseat door open for her.  _More like keeping my distance is safer_ , Veronica thought silently.

"Thanks for picking us up, Wallace," Logan climbed into the front seat as Veronica and Mac crawled into the back.

"It's no sweat, really. I'm glad you're home. I about had a heart attack when your dad walked into my house last night. I'm usually pretty quick on my feet, but he just looked so...surprised and hurt. I think you're going to need to do some damage control where he's concerned."

"Yeah, I gathered that from last night's phone call. I'll make sure we have some father/son bonding time, starting tonight," Logan replied evenly and turned to give Veronica a lopsided half-smile.

"Well, lucky for you, we paved the way for you to spend a bit more time with your paramour, there," Wallace pointed to the backseat. "The sheriff's shift doesn't end till eight tonight, so I convinced everyone that it was the perfect night for 'blended family dinner' including Mac and V. If we drop by Veronica's house and pick up her car, it'll give us a few hours yet to scheme about Veronica's little Madison problem—"

"Little?" Veronica couldn't hold in her scoffed retort, but Mac smiled at her encouragingly.

"Okay, your  _large_  Madison problem...before dinner. And the ants for Darrell's antfarm came today, so I bribed him to convince Keith to set it all up tonight. We're in the clear." Wallace sounded very pleased with himself. "But tomorrow he's got the morning off, so you're stuck entertaining Keith on your own."

"Thanks, guys. That's perfect. I do want to spend time with him, but it'll be much easier to do that if we have a plan in place."

"Lucky for you, then. All of your kissy-time has left Wallace and I with a lot of time to brainstorm. We'll fill you in when we get home, but for now, I want to hear all about Catalina." Mac was all dimples.

Wallace sighed and Veronica heard him mutter something about romantic notions as he pulled out into traffic and headed inland toward town.

* * *

When he was sure they'd passed, he popped his head out from where he was crouched down behind the steering wheel.

 _Finally!_  His mind raced at this development.  _Now we're getting somewhere._   _That little bitch will lead me right where I want to be._

After days of waiting and waiting and following leads that were dead-ends, the path he'd thought would be the most fruitless of all his endeavours had yielded the biggest payout yet. A day of chasing some dumbass staff member of Conner Larkin had paid off. This was it! He deserved this!

He pulled his beat up old Accord out onto the road in front of the marina, grateful for the traffic around him; just enough cars to follow undetected if he was careful, but not crowded enough to lose sight of the bright yellow car she'd taken off in.

 _Surely, eventually, they'll take the Echolls bitch back home and I'll be there to see it all happen._  He pulled the can of Red Bull out of the cup holder next to him and scowled when he found it empty. He growled as he tossed the empty can over his shoulder into the backseat and reached for the cooler on the floor of the passenger seat, blindly flipping it open to fish out another caffeinated beverage. He yanked on the flip top of the can and sprayed Red Bull across the front seat of the car in his haste.  _Shit!_ He grabbed one of the extra adult diapers from the package on the passenger seat and hastily wiped at his face, frustrated but still determined not to lose sight of the hideous Xterra. It was still there, only three cars ahead of him, and he followed it when its driver made a left turn through downtown Neptune.

His heart raced, and he began to sweat when, after many turns, the streets became narrower and the houses became larger. He'd anticipated having to follow these dumb kids around town or to some stupid high school party before he hit paydirt, but it appeared that luck was on his side, yet again.

He pulled back, putting more space between himself and the vehicle he was pursuing as they left all other traffic behind. Now it was just him and the Xterra on the quiet street, and it wouldn't do to be made so close to his reward.

The bright SUV slowed down, signaling right when there was no crossroad in sight. His heart caught in his throat and he started to feel sick.  _Fuck, yes_. He could barely contain himself now. His hands shook uncontrollably and he had to remind himself to swallow. The SUV stopped and the driver punched something into the security gate before proceeding up the long driveway toward a mega-mansion. He snorted as he drove past, purposefully keeping his eyes forward as he drove by. He'd swing around and get a better look in twenty minutes after he found somewhere nearby that he could sit for a while unnoticed.

He smiled slyly. "See," he murmured to himself through his teeth, "it was all worth it in the end."

* * *

Veronica kept some distance between herself and the Xterra as she made her way back to Logan's house. She'd insisted on driving back alone; she needed some time to process. While things with Logan were going perfectly and her new friends were great, she couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to get really bad.

As she pulled up to the Mars house, she had to fight the urge to turn the car around and return home and partake in her mother's extensive liquor cabinet. LA had been bad enough with Piz, but being back in Neptune and having to deal with Madison and the upcoming Christmas Eve party overwhelmed Veronica.

Somehow, she managed to put on a happy face for the others. Making sure to keep her distance with Logan, she attached herself to Mac's side. Her new friend's smile soothed some of her fears. Instinctively, she knew that everyone around her was an ally.  _Life has taught you that allies are few and far between in this world, Veronica. Try to have a little faith._

Veronica was hit with the heavenly smell of baking lasagne when she entered the house and turned to see Alicia Fennel buttering some bread in the kitchen.

"Thanks so much for letting me tag along for dinner, Mrs. Fennel. My parents are still in LA, so this worked out great," Veronica smiled warmly at the pretty woman, turning on the Echolls charm. She was genuinely happy to see Wallace's mom, but wasn't used to family dinners. She didn't quite know what to expect.

"Oh, you're always welcome, Veronica. And please call me Alicia. Dinners aren't too fancy around here, but we're happy to share."

"Anything I can do to help?" Veronica asked.

"No, I'm just finishing up right now. The garlic bread is just about ready to go into the oven. You go on ahead with the others and I'll call you when dinner's ready," Alicia smiled brightly as she wrapped foil around the bread and popped it into the oven.

"Well, let me know if you change your mind," Veronica insisted. "It smells fantastic." She smiled warmly at the older woman before turning to make her way to Logan's room.

When Veronica entered the room she laughed at Wallace's scowl.

"What?" she asked, worried.

"We have kind of a bro-code around here, V. You can't be askin' my mom to help with dinner without making the rest of us look bad for not asking. We have a strict 'don't ask' policy. Now that you're part of the club, I thought I should fill you in," Wallace's words were serious, but his tone was playful. She glanced at Logan who gave her a nod and then smiled and pulled her down onto the bed with him.

"While I love you for trying, it's kind of true," Logan stated. "This is critical teambuilding time and we need you here." He looked at Mac expectantly. "You guys mentioned a plan?"

Mac jumped right in, suddenly all business. "Wallace and I decided that the best way to get back at Madison would be to have her give herself away. If we accuse her of something, it will just look like a typical continuation of the class tensions at Neptune High." Mac pulled up her laptop and opened a document. "What?" she smiled, clearly having noticed Veronica's smirk. "This is delicate; I took some notes."

Logan nodded. "I'm following so far, but I can't imagine us being able to get anything out of her. Maybe Lilly—"

"We thought of that, and we may need to bring her in," Wallace spoke up. "She feels bad and is the closest we have to an inside-man at this point. But, what we really need is a way to get Madison in a position where she feels comfortable. In power. We need to get her on video saying all the things she did and how she was able to pull it off. Then it would be indisputable."

"This seems ambitious, you guys. I can't even begin to know where to start. How do we get a video confession?" Veronica could hear the defeat in her own voice.

"Dick!" Mac interjected, causing Veronica to laugh out loud before remembering the 09er who answered to that name.

"Seriously? Dick Casablancas?" Veronica chortled. "The boy doesn't have two brain cells left to rub together, and he's sure as hell not going to turn on his girlfriend."

"He's smarter than you'd think," Logan cut in. She must have looked incredulous, because Logan laughed and said, "No, really."

"Hmpf," was Veronica's cynical reply.

"That's inconsequential." Wallace brushed their comments aside. "Dick is just providing the backdrop for our operation. Dick will be our patsy. He will get all the key players in the scenario lined up for us to take them down." Wallace turned to Mac with a grin. "We've got it all worked out."

Logan leapt off the bed and began pacing the small space of his room. "How?" He unzipped and pulled off his sweatshirt, twisting it around in his hands as he walked.

Mac piped up next, "Dick's poker game! Don't you see? It's perfect. All the right people will be there. Madison will feel comfortable at Dick's house, and we can get in early to set things up! Wallace and I will pose as wait staff. No one ever notices the help. We'll set up everything by the pool house, making sure to get the angles right. All you'll have to do is make sure that Madison stands on one of several marks we set up." Veronica loved the way Mac's eyes lit up when she had a great idea.

"Set things up at Dick's own house? This doesn't seem like something we'd even be invited to, Mac," Veronica was skeptical, despite Mac's enthusiasm.

"No, Logan has an open invitation," Mac answered hastily. "He was grandfathered in; tell her, Lo."

"It's true. Every year the Casablancases hold their annual Who's Who of Neptune party. It's the social event of the season, or was until the Echollses moved into town and invited everyone to their own Christmas Eve party. So Dick's step-mom moved it up a few days this year." Logan gave her a snarky smile and continued, "All the kids got tired of being bored at home and we always used it as an opportunity to play poker in Dick's pool house. Of course, my dad always received a pity invite, so we went, too. The 09ers like the idea of keeping the sheriff in their pocket."

"So why is this the first I'm hearing of it?" Veronica asked.

"Because we've been kind of busy and this year I've had enough of stupid 09er games. Well, that and the fact that this year Dick decided to up the ante—literally. There's a thousand-dollar buy in. Even if I'm still cool by association, I don't have the means." Logan plopped back onto the bed with a frustrated sigh.

Veronica climbed across the bed and hovered over him. "But I do!" she said saucily. "And they'd want me there for sure. Especially if I brought a guest with me—say a certain young and dashing action hero movie star that we all know and love." She raised her eyebrows expectantly at him and he pulled her down for a quick kiss before he rolled off the bed and started pacing again.

"We have to be convincing, though. Can you play poker?" he asked Veronica.

"No." She paused and did her best to look meek and feeble. "But it must be  _really hard_  if Dick and the 09ers play." She picked the pillow up from his bed and tossed it at him as Wallace and Mac hooted with laughter. "Yes, I can hold my own, Mars." At his skeptical look, she owned up to the truth. "The chauffeur used to have to entertain me for hours on end. He's a card shark!"

Logan looked impressed at that. "And Conner's free?"

"For Madison, he'll make himself free. When does this little soiree take place?" Veronica picked up her phone and opened a text message to Conner.

"The annual Casablancas Christmas snob-fest will take place on December 21st," Wallace replied evenly.

Veronica looked over at him in surprise. "But that's tomorrow!"

Logan plopped down on the bed and gently kissed her nose. "Exactly...we'd better start planning fast!"

It was, unfortunately, at that exact moment that Sheriff Mars opened the door. Veronica watched as Keith looked her up and down and she immediately saw herself and Logan through his father's eyes. She was lying face-to-face with Logan, their mouths had been less than an inch apart. Sure, Wallace and Mac were in the room, but there was no hiding the obvious.

To his credit, Logan didn't jerk or pull away. He just turned toward the door and let out a long breath with a bit of a smirk. It was Veronica who pulled up to sitting, more humiliated than when she'd been caught with fake IDs.

Before she could utter a word of explanation, the sheriff shook his head lightly, as if to gather his thoughts. "Dinner's ready, gang," he said finally, almost jovially, before he turned and headed back down the hall toward the kitchen.

Veronica flopped back onto the bed for a moment as Wallace and Mac silently left the room.

"Did I just get caught by my dad practically making out on my bed?" Logan buried his face into her hair and sighed.

"Yeah, you got caught by your dad. I got caught by the town's sheriff who thinks I'm dating a movie star. That's weird."

Logan shrugged at her apologetically before popping off the bed and holding his hand out to her. "Let's go—an awkward family dinner awaits."

* * *

**Tuesday, December 21**

Logan woke up early. He'd set his alarm so that he could get a head start on father/son bonding day. Though his father had remained pleasant throughout dinner, the overlong glances and the small crease between his eyes let Logan know that a confrontation was inevitable. It was time for a some serious damage control; he had to do whatever he could to make sure that his father did not put the kibosh on him going to the big poker game tonight.

Logan quickly made his way to the kitchen and started the coffee maker. He began to prep breakfast and suddenly wished he knew how to make more than toast and an omelette that resembled something more along the lines of scrambled eggs.  _I must talk to Mrs. Navarro about cooking lessons_. Somehow he managed to cook the bacon so that each strip was half-raw and half-burned.  _Hmm_ , Logan grimaced at his own handiwork.  _This will have to do_ , he told himself.  _It's go time._

Logan jumped when his father's voice boomed from behind him, "What's this I smell? Breakfast?"

"Um...yeah." Logan turned around slowly. "An omelette...well kinda. And I think you should avoid the bacon, but the toast looks pretty close to perfect!" Logan tried to sound upbeat.

It didn't work.

"Doesn't smell like bacon and eggs—I'd say something more along the lines of...compunction." Keith leaned over the plate Logan was holding out, took an exaggerated whiff and then met Logan's eyes. "Yes, I'd say these eggs reek of fear with a healthy side order of good old-fashioned guilt." Keith didn't seem mad, he seemed disappointed.

 _Shit, disappointed is worse than mad._ "Really? You can smell all that? I never knew hyperosmia was one of your hidden talents."

"Oh, you give me no credit, Son. I could smell 'all that' from my bedroom." Keith glanced down at the single place setting on the table,"Where's  _your_  plate?" he asked, taking the plate from Logan's hands and grabbing a fork from the drawer.

"Well, I'm not feeling so hungry right now," Logan replied, pouring them each a mug of coffee and mixing cream and sugar into his.

"Have a seat, young man. It seems like we have a lot to talk about." Keith sat down and gestured to the chair across the small table from him. Logan did sit down, but all attempts at starting the conversation were stuck in his throat. His mind raced with possibilities.  _Is it possible that he doesn't know as much as I think he does? Which is worse from his perspective: me dating Veronica, or me messing around with Veronica while she has a boyfriend? Crap, not good; none of this is good._

"At a loss as to where to start, Son? Always let your conscience be your guide," Keith said, looking at his eggs a little nervously.

"Really dad, quoting Jiminy Cricket?" Logan smirked, trying to act more like his normal self. But at his father's quelling expression, he paused and then started to speak three times, stopping himself each time on the verge of spilling everything.

"'Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.' As a wise man, I will guide you. Let's start with Veronica."

 _First Jiminy Cricket and then Plato, this man is a quoting machine_. Logan met his father's gaze at that. "What about Veronica?" Logan asked, buying himself valuable time.  _How do I explain all this without involving Aaron?_

"You said you were staying with Conner this weekend."

_Oh, goody. Interrogation mode has officially been activated._

"I did; we all did. Mac, Wallace...me. We went to the premiere, just like I said, and then we went back to Conner's. We all slept there—"

"You slept at Conner's?"

"Yes!"  _Keep the answers short and sweet. Don't elaborate, don't—_

"Alone?"

_And here it is, the moment of truth—literally. There's no point in denying it, nor the fact that I lied. I'm not ashamed of Veronica and I, and the lying just kind of...happened._

Logan swallowed hard. "No," he answered simply, dropping his gaze to his coffee.

Keith's exhale hissed through his teeth. "Dammit, Logan, please tell me you were careful—"

"We were, Dad. And I know this all seems sudden and...odd—"

"Sudden? You've known the girl, what a week!?

"Well, more than two weeks actually…"

"Fine, two weeks. During which, I might add, she was questioned for possession of illegal IDs! And she has a boyfriend! A boyfriend who apparently doesn't care that his girlfriend is sleeping with my son under his own roof!" Keith's voice crescendoed to a shout.

"We were in the pool house," Logan stated before he thought the better of it.

"Logan, this isn't funny!" Keith's hand slammed down onto the table, causing Logan to jump.

"Sorry," Logan said petulantly.

"Is there something I need to know, Son? Have I—I've been too lax with you. Since your mother left, I've been busy; I haven't given you the attention you deserve."

 _Wait, what?_  "Dad, what are you talking about? You—you've been everything to me. You're great."

"If I'm doing such a stellar job, how come my kid is lying to me in order to sleep with girls he just met—"

"It's not like that!"

"Well then, by all means, tell me what it's like. It was bad enough when you were dating that Caitlin girl." Keith's voice was frighteningly calm.

_Can we please just go back to the yelling and disappointed?_

"I wasn't so much dating Caitlin—" Logan stopped at the look on Keith's face,  _right...not helping myself there…_  "Veronica and Conner aren't really together. Not outside the realm of Hollywood. Veronica and I are together," he ignored Keith's scoff and forged ahead, "I didn't plan for any of this; I know it seems fast—"

"Fast is an understatement, Logan. She is from a different world than you are. How do you know she's not playing with you? Using you to piss off her boyfriend or her father. Oh, Logan, her father—" Keith buried his face in his hands.

"Dad, I love her." Logan waited until Keith's eyes met his. "I love her. I know it all sounds crazy, and I hope that one day I can explain everything; right now it's not my story to tell. But, you'll get to know her. You'll like her. She's not like them."

"Well, for your sake, Son, I hope you're right." Logan watched his dad closely as he paused for a moment, hunching over as if he was much older than he really was. He looked exhausted. Then Keith scooted the chair back and rose to his feet. "I need to take a walk."

"Dad, are you going to the station later? I'd like to go with you. I want to spend the day with you. I—I'm sorry I lied. I'm not sorry about Veronica, but I'm sorry I lied to you."

"I'll be back soon," Keith said as he grabbed Backup's leash off the hook and called the dog to his side. "Thanks for telling me, Logan. I'll see you soon." And with that, Keith calmly left the house.

Logan watched him walk down the street in the sweats he'd probably slept in. He knew his father would forgive him, but that it would take time to earn back his trust. And once his father spent some time with Veronica, he would accept her the way Mac and Wallace had. Logan was sure of it.

* * *

Veronica woke slowly. Technically she'd been up earlier, taking a call from Logan, but she'd gone back to sleep afterwards with a heavy heart. Things had seemed pretty good at dinner the previous night, though it had been a unique experience. The highlights had included Logan's hand rubbing her knee under the table and Alicia's comfortable acceptance of Veronica into the family. Though the high moments were punctuated by strange looks and uncomfortable comments from Sheriff Mars. Apparently, catching his son in what looked like a kiss with someone he thought to be dating someone else...Veronica shook her head. Now Logan and his dad's morning conversation hadn't gone very well either, though he hadn't shared any of the details in their short conversation.

Veronica stretched her arms and legs and then slid out of her warm bed. There were things to be done, and until she heard back from Logan, there was only so much worrying she could do.

In the kitchen, Mrs. Navarro was standing over a skillet of bacon and the waffle iron looked occupied. Veronica licked her lips in anticipation. The only thing that would make this better was if Logan could have been there.  _Logan..._ sleeping without him had been weird and lonely.

Veronica took a seat at the kitchen island. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Miss Veronica. Breakfast will be ready soon and your mom should be here any minute." Mrs. Navarro smiled warmly.

"Have you seen Trina?" Veronica asked.

"Mmm...Miss Trina was up earlier. She left, something about a purse, I think."

Veronica smirked,  _sounds about right._

A chime sounded, signaling the perimeter gate opening. "That must be your mother."

Veronica nodded, feeling anything but prepared to have a conversation with her mom. She wasn't sure how much Conner had told her, and Veronica just hadn't felt up to calling her mom on Monday. At least Trina was out.

Mrs. Navarro set two covered plates on the breakfast table and turned back to Veronica with a strange look on her face. "Is everything okay?" Veronica asked, noticing the thick white envelope. Veronica walked closer to Mrs. Navarro. "What is that?"

"I don't know. It was not here when I arrived this morning. And I placed the mail in the entryway."

Veronica held her hand out for the envelope. It felt like the kind they used for invitations to parties, heavy and textured. On the front spelled out in magazine cutout letters it said 'trick or treat'. Veronica carefully opened it to find a letter inside, also on thick card stock, covered in cutout letters. Veronica dropped the letter onto the table just as her mother walked in.

"Darling! Leti! Ooo, breakfast, too. This morning is looking up." Lynn's smile was bright but Veronica could only shake her head. "What that?" Lynn pointed at the dropped sheet then bent to pick it up.

"Stop! Don't touch it." But it was too late; Lynn's neatly manicured fingers hand had already grasped the page.

"Not another one. Was this in the mail, Leti?"

"No. Mom, this was sitting on the table. It wasn't here when I got home last night," Veronica said.

"And it was not here when I arrived this morning," Mrs. Navarro added.

"Oh my." Lynn delicately placed it back on the table. "Well that is certainly new." Lynn stepped back from the table, "Leti, can you please call all the staff in and make sure no one brought this in. And, Veronica dear, I need you to get dressed."

Veronica stared at her mom in shock. "Aren't you worried?"

Lynn nodded her head and pulled Veronica from the room, "Yes. But mostly I'm angry. This woman has been sending these little 'love notes' to your father for weeks, and he has refused to do a thing about it." Her voice was hushed, but Veronica could hear her mother's composure begin to slip. "He doesn't even live here!" Lynn's elevated voice startled Veronica.

"What are we doing?" Veronica asked as her mother led her back to her bedroom.

"You're getting dressed while I wait with you. And then we are going to see the sheriff. I'm tired of this. I don't care what your father does, but that woman was in the house with you. No, I've had enough."

* * *

Logan sat alone in Keith's office in one of the seats that faced his father's desk. He tried to force his brain to plan for the evening's adventure rather than dwell on the colossal failure that had been this morning.

The ride to the station had been silent, so Logan had spent the time pondering the situation in which he found himself. While he knew his father better than anyone else, he had no idea if he should try to make peace or keep quiet at a time like this.

> _When Keith had arrived home from his walk, he'd been determined._ _He'd clearly made a mental list of questions that he'd wanted answers to.  Logan had tried to answer truthfully._
> 
> " _So, that's it, right? That's all you've been keeping from me?  Sneaking around, staying in LA without permission,  and what I assume was_ very  _protected sex with a consenting minor?  That's everything, right?"_
> 
> _Logan had shook his head, determined not to lie.  "No." His voice was small. He felt ten years old again._
> 
> " _Oh, Logan. Do I even want to know?" His dad sounded disappointed again._
> 
> " _Probably," Logan ran his hand through his hair and sank down further into the couch he'd been sitting in while sipping his coffee.  "But I can't tell you...not yet."_
> 
> " _For God's sake, Logan," Keith whipped the leash off of Backup's collar and tossed it carelessly onto a table near the door.  When he spoke again, he was calm. "I thought you could tell me anything."_
> 
> " _I can, when it's about me, but this isn't about me. This isn't my secret to tell."_
> 
> " _I think you need some time away from her, Son. I feel like you're too old to be grounded, but..."_
> 
> No! No, no, no!  _"Dad, I have to go to the Casablancas Christmas party. I'm working a case tonight."_
> 
> " _No, Logan. Sometimes enough is enough," Keith sputtered._
> 
> " _I just need to get through the next few days. Then I'll be under house arrest, or whatever else you want.  But I_ have  _to go to the party tonight. Mac and Wallace will be there.  I can come home directly afterward, but I_ can't  _stop the case, and I_  can't _let everyone down."_
> 
> _Keith had left the room at that moment, and they hadn't spoken since.  Logan had showered quickly, trying to be ready to go with his dad when he went to the station.  He'd decided to follow in his own car if he needed to._
> 
> _But it hadn't been necessary.  They'd piled into his dad's car and headed down to the station like it was any other day.  Except for the fact that it wasn't like any other day. Except for the fact that they weren't speaking._

Keith suddenly appeared in his office and sat down next to Logan on the other chair in front of his desk.

"Tell me the case. Tell me which case you're working tonight at the party and I'll consider it," Keith said.

"It's Veronica and the IDs," Logan said.  _And her being drugged at Madison's party_ , he added silently, knowing full-well that his father would consider the omission a lie. "Dad, we're onto something. Veronica's prints weren't on the IDs and Madison is carrying some kind of serious grudge against her."  _Seriously serious._

Keith seemed to perk up at that. He stood up and closed his door and then walked around his desk to take a seat in his large chair. He unlocked a drawer and pulled a manilla folder out of it.

"Charles Sinclair's daughter, is it?" Keith asked Logan.

"Yes, but it's petty. It's some stupid popularity contest as far as any of us can tell."

"Son, what I'm about to tell you has to stay between us."

"Of course, Dad." Logan's heart leapt; not only might he get a break in the cases, but his father was confiding in him. This was best case scenario after the morning's discussions.

"I mean it, Logan. Not a word. Not to Mac, not to Wallace and, sure as hell, not to Veronica Echolls." Keith leaned forward and pointed his finger at Logan as he spoke.

"I promise," he insisted, willing his father to believe him.

"After the prints were found on the IDs, I started looking into Lamb. I knew it was a long-shot, but I've been trying to nail him concretely to anything for so long...well, I don't know if I can ever fire him, but I had to start somewhere." Keith cleared his throat. "I had the new guy, D'Amato, pair up with him for a few days. He watched; he took notes. He got the feeling that Lamb was a little too close with the working girls of Neptune. He spent a great deal of time at the Seventh Veil. It seemed like he was fixing tickets, looking the other way...things like that."

"What's in it for him, though?" Logan asked, though he likely knew the answer.

"Well, he didn't reveal any of that to D'Amato. So we hired a PI—"

"Oh, please don't say it. Don't say his name," Logan pleaded.

"Vinnie Van Lowe," Keith finished.

"I can do a better job than Vinnie. Hell, I  _do_  do a better job." Logan was personally offended.

"Yes, you do, but I, as an elected public servant, can't legally hire my unlicensed, minor son to do PI work for a me, now can I?" Logan shrunk down in his seat a bit. "So, as I was saying, Vinnie got some pretty racy pictures of Lamb outside the Seventh Veil...on the clock, in a squad car, receiving…'services' for his 'favors'."

"I think I just threw up a little in my mouth," Logan groaned.

"I think we both did," Keith agreed.

"But what does this have to do with Veronica or the IDs? Or does it just prove Lamb's a crook?" Logan asked.

Keith pushed the folder across his desk to Logan, and Logan opened it eagerly. "Vinnie took some pictures of him with the Sinclair girl," Logan gasped at his father's admission.

"But I can't tell—" Logan started.

"No, Vinne couldn't get any pictures of sexual misconduct involving Miss Sinclair, but it's suspicious. I left Vinnie on it. He'll see if he can get something linking the Sinclair girl with Lamb more concretely. But, he has no reason to be anywhere near her at all. None that I can come up with, anyway."

"Neither can I, Dad. But I plan to get Madison to confess tonight. I've got Mac and Wallace setting up cameras, and I can—"

"You know that's inadmissible," Keith interjected.

"Inadmissible, but  _I_  just need to win in the court of public opinion. If Madison confesses on tape, she'll have to leave Veronica alone. She's taking things too far."

"Why do I get the feeling there is more to this than you've told me?" Keith asked, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. "This isn't just about IDs, is it?"

Logan nodded. "Because it's bigger than just the IDs." Logan took a deep breath and held it for a moment before he continued. "I think Madison dosed Veronica with GHB at a party last week," he admitted.

"Logan!" Keith roared, getting to his feet.

"Veronica did get dosed, that part I am sure of, but someone else brought it to the party. We got to Veronica in time. Nothing happened...we deleted the pictures."

"You should have called me!"

"I should have, but I was scared. Conner spoke to a doctor; everything indicated that she would be okay. We didn't want the press to get involved, so we just got her home and took care of her. I was so scared, Dad."

Keith moved around the desk and sat in the chair across from Logan. He reached forward and pulled Logan's head down onto his shoulder. "You can always call me. Even if you're going to get into trouble, Logan. I thought you knew that."

Logan leaned heavily into his dad. He hadn't known how much he'd needed to tell his dad these secrets. "I know. I  _do_  know. But everything just got so out of control so quickly."

"These kids  _are_  out of control. Drugging teenage girls! You're all playing adult games with adolescent brains; it can be a lethal combination. "

After a moment of being held, Logan pulled away. "That's why I have to go tonight. I need to finish this. You can nail Lamb some other way, but I need to nail Madison to the wall first."

"I understand." Keith nodded solemnly.

"And if you can have Vinnie find out where someone could get a whole slew of shitty fake IDs, we can see if we can trace them back to Lamb. If Madison confesses…"

"I'm already on it, Son. We'll get them," Keith promised, "together."

"Thanks, Dad. I'm still sorry I lied to you. And, for the record, there's still more to all this." Logan laughed at his father's shocked expression. "I'll tell you one day," he promised.

Keith sighed and reached out to ruffle Logan's hair. "So you love her, huh?"

Logan couldn't help but smile as he nodded. "I really do. I don't know what happened. One minute we were at each other's throat, and the next I was totally falling for her. But she's great. She's smart, and Mac and Wallace love her, too..."

Keith sat back in the chair and gave Logan a long look before a smile lit up his face and he let out a chuckle. "That's how it happens. That's how love works."

Logan sobered a little. "Is that how it happened with Mom?"

"It's how it was for me. I can't speak for Lianne, but that's exactly how it happened to me." Keith's smile faded a little bit, but then it returned slowly. "And that's how I got you, the most important thing in my life."

"Thanks. I love you, too, Dad." They both sat there, looking at each other silently until things got a bit awkward. "Now go get back to work, you lazy bum. How are you ever going to get reelected if you sit behind your desk gossiping all day?"

"Oh, I think the teenagers of Balboa County will provide excellent job security. It appears I have my work cut out for me." Keith got up from his seat and opened the door of his office. "Go file all that paperwork for Inga; it'll keep you out of trouble for at least a few hours."

"I wouldn't bet on it," Logan snarked as he made his way to the front desk only to come face-to-face with Veronica and her mother.

"Oh, Logan darling, don't you look handsome," Lynn said sweetly, brushing a few stray hairs off of his forehead.

"Um...thank you. Veronica?" Logan stepped around the desk and looked around. Seeing the bullpen empty and no one else directly in their line of sight, he placed a quick kiss on her cheek and waited for an explanation.

"We had a little surprise waiting for us on the breakfast table this morning. I think my mom needs to talk to your dad," Veronica said. Her words were even, but Logan could feel the nervous energy radiating off her.

"Oh, sure. He's—" Logan pointed toward his office.

"Thank you, Logan dear. I'll go talk to him. You'll keep Veronica company?" she asked. Without waiting for his response, Lynn walked in the direction Logan had pointed, taking long strides that reminded Logan that Veronica's mom had been a model in her early years.

"What's going on?" Logan asked.

"Guess my dad has a new stalker," Veronica said quietly.

"A stalker!"

Veronica smacked Logan on the shoulder, "Sh! Not so loud. The media loves stalker stories and we've got too much going on already."

"Oh, right. Um...come on." Logan grabbed Veronica's hand and dragged her into the filing room that had been his destination before he'd seen them. "There's no one but you and me in here." Logan couldn't resist cupping Veronica's face and pulling her closer to him. He'd had a hell of a morning, and just being in her presence was really helping. "I missed you this morning," he said, placing a soft kiss on her lips.

Veronica wrapped her arms around Logan's waist, her head coming to rest on his chest. "I missed you, too."

* * *

As Mac climbed into the driver's seat of her green VW bug, her wig caught on the top of the door. She grabbed the edge and tossed it in the back seat with a huff and proceeded to scratch her head vigorously. "Ugh, I hate wearing wigs."

"You should just be glad you got to do an undercover role this time. If Cassidy wasn't in Europe with their mom, you'd have been benched. And besides, you should be happy you needed the wig at all! I'm the starting point guard and Dick didn't even look at me twice," Wallace complained.

"He didn't look at you once. He was too busy staring at my chest. This is the last time I let you pick out my undercover wardrobe." Mac pulled up the low-cut top Wallace had picked out.

"I stand by my choice. You would never wear a shirt like that, and Dick was too busy looking down your shirt to recognize you."

Mac couldn't deny his logic, but she was still uncomfortable so she decided to focus back on the case. "Okay, pull up the list and check off camera and microphone placement. What else is left?"

Wallace pulled out the small notebook he'd copied the todo list into earlier. "Check and check. We need to confirm that Conner is coming."

Mac smiled. "Conner's number is in my phone. Shoot him a text."

"' _Conner's number is in my phone'._  Are you two going steady now?" Wallace laughed.

Mac tried to hide her blush, "We've texted a couple of times. You know I'm not really his type like that, but I think maybe we could be friends. Surprisingly, he's actually pretty nerdy. Did you know he has one of the original Episode IV posters signed by George Lucas and the whole cast?" Mac asked, excited.

"All I hear is blah blah, Star Trek, blah." Wallace mouthed his hand at her.

"Star  _Wars,_  Wallace. Star Trek is completely different," Mac corrected.

"Blah! Now get your wig back on; our break is almost over."

Mac sighed and readjusted the wig just as a text from Conner pinged.

 **Conner: '** I'll be there. Looking forward to seeing you Mac-Attack!'

Mac reached for the notebook and put another check mark. Operation Dumb-bim-bo was coming together nicely.

* * *

"So, if this is a fancy party, why do we need to park two blocks away and walk?" Conner asked Veronica as a crazed valet peeled out past them in someone's luxury sports car.

Veronica cringed as she heard the squeal of tires on pavement down the street.

Logan cut in. "First of all, you should be thanking me," he said. "That could have been your car one-eightying into a parking spot back there. Secondly, the 09er kids like to think that this is some covert operation. Sure every parent that bothered to ask knows exactly where their kid is tonight, but sneaking in through the gate and into the pool house adds to its appeal...lends a little mystique, so to speak." Logan laughed at his rhyme. "Any rich person can walk in through the front door;  _this_  is invite-only."

"And yet the whole Bloodhound Gang is here," Conner joked. "Look at us, breaking socioeconomic barriers everywhere we go."

"Yeah, about that," Veronica turned to block Conner's path. "Mac and Wallace are technically posing as the help, so no fraternizing if you see them, Larkin," she playfully poked her finger into his chest.

"You've gotta be kidding me! Rich LA kids make much more sense." Veronica began to interject, but Conner cut her off. "I got it. No problem. I can be a snob, too! This is gonna be great."

Veronica laughed at how excited Conner sounded and Logan's look of incredulity. "I know what you're thinking: shouldn't the boy who spends all his time acting want to just be himself for a night? But Conner lives for this stuff," she explained to Logan. Then she turned back to Conner, "And don't drink anything anyone gives you." Veronica leaned in and whispered playfully, "I learned that one the hard way."

"Don't even joke about that!" Conner said, groaning. He spun Veronica around so that she was facing the gate and began to rub her shoulders as he pushed her forward. "But again, no issue; I brought my Sun Tea. And I'm out of here by eleven anyway; I have Vanity Fair in the morning."

"Yes, I remember. But seriously, folks. No flirting with boys  _or_  girls. You're supposed to be in love with  _me."_ Veronica turned and rolled her eyes at Logan who was laughing.

"Oh, that's one role I'm good at," Conner insisted. "It's you two who seem to have an issue not eye-screwing all the time. You seriously need to tone down the heart-eyes."

"Shhh," Logan hissed as he stepped in front of Veronica and reached out to open the Casablancas' gate. "This is serious. We have work to do and you two are fooling around. Lilly had to work her ass off to get Mac and Wallace in and you two invited, so—" Logan stopped short when the gate swung open to reveal Weevil Navarro and Lilly Kane. "Or, maybe they're just letting anyone in these days," he grumbled. "You're not Chester!"

"Sorry, I don't want to make you uncomfortable. If it's easier, you can just pretend that I'm here to clean the pool," Weevil snarked.

"It's no problem, Weevil," Logan said.

"Well, this is an interesting development. I couldn't help but overhear...You two?" Weevil motioned between Logan and Veronica. "And here I was worried about being bored to death on the clean, well-lit streets," Weevil deadpanned, shaking his head in mock disdain and earning a smack from Lilly.

"You two, too," Veronica's eyes narrowed as she took in Lilly. It was dark, but she could tell that the girl refused to meet her eyes. Veronica didn't know if that was because she'd been caught in a dark corner of the yard with Weevil or if it was Lilly's response to all that had transpired the past few weeks.

"I have no beef with you, man," Logan said as he stepped past the Weevil. "I was just surprised to see you here, that's all." Veronica caught Logan's slight nod and followed, grabbing Conner by the hand.

"Likewise. I'm just glad there's one guy I can trust at this little shin-dig," Weevil said approvingly.

"We'll see you inside." Veronica began to walk but felt a hand tug on her arm.

"Look, Veronica, I'd like to talk for a minute. Logan, you, too." Lilly said, finally meeting her gaze.

"Yeah, okay," Veronica said and then looked up at her date. "Conner, can you give us a second?"

"Um...yeah, sure. I'll just hang out here with the biker guy and discuss...mutual interests," Conner shrugged. Veronica heard him say, 'So, Beetle, was it? Do you like action flicks?' as she let Lilly lead her around to the side of the pool house.

"So, I'm sure Logan told you that I'm sorry for everything that happened. I don't want to dwell on it, but suffice it to say, I'm ready for a takedown. I think it's time that everything's out in the open," she said.

"Thanks for helping us tonight, Lilly." Veronica was sincere. They couldn't have infiltrated the Casablancas house so quickly and easily without Lilly's help.  _So you don't mind my mentioning finding you alone in the dark with the leader of a biker gang then, I assume? I still can't be sure that you're actually sorry and not just enjoying being a part of this game, but I'll trust you for now,_  Veronica added silently.

Lilly turned to Logan. "Mac and Wallace set up the cameras here and there," Lilly indicated a fake rock in the garden and then a speaker affixed to the side of the pool house. "And there," she said, pointing to a large, ceramic garden gnome.

Logan moved to each camera, quickly inspecting his friends' handiwork. He turned to Veronica. "Looks good," he said approvingly. "Not that I'd expect anything less. They're all motion activated, so the batteries should last. I assume they checked the audio?" Lilly shrugged. "We should be good to go."

"I got enough people here that it should give you enough time to lure her out here and confront her." Veronica still felt like Lilly was being a bit evasive. She couldn't quite put her finger on what exactly was bothering her about Lilly's demeanor, so she just nodded.

"Thanks again, Lil'," Logan said. "I won't forget this."

"Well, after all I put you though, I'd say we're even," she smiled them both. "And you two together—I like it. Maybe I should give Conner my number," she winked.

"I'm good with that," Logan responded lightly before turning to Veronica. "Now, let's go save Weevil from Conner and get this show on the road."

* * *

Logan didn't know what Lilly had over Dick Casablancas, but it had to be something damn good. She had clearly orchestrated this entire evening from the strategic guest list additions to tactically arranging how many people she would allow to play poker at any given time. Even though Logan knew that Lilly was good at usurping, there was no way Dick would let her take charge to this extent without some serious leverage. And Logan had a feeling that Lilly didn't do it just because of Madison or out of the goodness of her heart. But he couldn't let that mystery distract him. Right now he had another pressing issue to take care of; her name was Madison Sinclair, and she was currently standing behind the bar mixing drinks with Lilly.

They were several games and three pizzas in, and Duncan had refused all mixed drinks and was chugging down whiskey like it was going out of style. Dick was still nursing his first drink, which Logan found suspicious. Weevil had drunk the most out of all of them, but was clearly the best at holding his liquor. Conner was sipping at his tea.

Logan sat at the head of the table, playing conservatively and watching Veronica giggle from her perch on Conner's lap. "So, Sean, what's up with the ghetto brew? Isn't that a bit beneath you?" Logan asked, trying to get keep both the conversation and drinking going.

Sean looked nonplussed. "It's the new me. I am projecting a ghetto aesthetic. Word," he said, looking straight at Weevil.

"Ouch, you got me!" Weevil said mockingly.

"Hey, leave him alone," Duncan slurred without conviction. "He's the only one besides me who bothered to tip the delivery boy. You left him like four percent." He shook his head at Sean.

"It's Christmas, even for delivery boys," Weevil agreed.

"Look at the Harvard-bound boy; he can do percentages when he can barely still hold his cards. Slow down with the liquor, dude," Dick called out.

 _I hate this prologue bullshit,_  Logan thought wearily.  _Let's move on to the next chapter this evening: confession time._

Logan's thoughts were interrupted by a tap on his shoulder. Lilly smiled at him and handed him a drink. He accepted a shot glass of what looked like vodka.

"Top shelf?" he asked her.

"Only the best for you!" she cooed. But Logan saw Lilly slightly wink as she walked back to the bar.

Logan downed the shot of water and let out a deep breath. "Yeah, that's the good stuff. Thanks, Lil'," he called out to her, putting on a show—the reality, of course, being that he rarely drank; having an alcoholic mother did that to a person.

"Why are we stuck behind the bar, Lilly?" He heard Madison snap from over his shoulder. "We played last year," she complained.

"Why do you care, Madison? You always lose! The only reason we played last year was because the boys wanted to get us out of our clothes. Which worked by the way, because you suck at poker," Lilly scoffed. "You should be thanking me. Besides, this is for money. We're only here to keep the drinks coming."

"You've never been one to take care of the boys, Lilly Kane. You always make sure the boys are servicing you. You're up to something," Madison said crisply.

"This is your boyfriend's party. Aren't you supposed to be playing hostess? Practicing for your M-R-S degree?" Lilly retorted.

Logan coughed loudly into his hand to disguise his laughter. It was the end of the hand and Logan was ready to bow out.

"I'm feeling lucky, boys," he said triumphantly. "All in!" He bet everything even though his hand was complete shit. He turned to see Veronica and Conner looking at him, so he gave them a discreet nod. Conner responded immediately.

"Well, I fold," Conner said, throwing down his hand. "Hey, babygirl," he continued, moving so Veronica had no choice but to hop off of him, "I gotta use the facilities. I'll be right back." He kissed her on the cheek.

"You know you miss a lot when you need to piss every five minutes, man," Dick railed on him.

Everyone revealed their cards, and Sean had taken the round. He laughed greedily as he collected his winnings.

"Mars is out!" Duncan called. "Dick is close, and I'm not leaving until Sean loses his pants. When Conner gets back I'm going to take it all!" He shot up out of his chair and began singing, "I'm Mister Green Christmas /

I'm Mister Sun / I'm Mister Heat Blister / I'm Mister Hundred and One / Whatever I touch / Starts to melt."

"Dude," Dick yelled, taking Duncan's bottle. "You start singing, you stop drinking. Now, sit." To Logan's surprise, Duncan obeyed.

Veronica feigned a deep stretch and made the next move. "I'm bored." She used her pouty voice that made Logan want to kiss her. "I'm wearing a bikini under this and the jacuzzi is out of sight of the party…" Veronica let the phrase hang for a moment. "Can I go in, Dick?"

"What an odd coincidence. I'm wearing my suit, too." Lilly spoke up from behind the bar. "I want to go in, Dick. I'll top off your glass before I go!" Logan turned to see Lilly flash her million-dollar smile at a practically drooling Dick Casablancas.

"What? What about me?" Madison protested.

"You don't need a suit, Madison. We saw it all last year!" Duncan hooted from the table, and Logan watched as Madison flushed and threw a scathing look their way.

"Yeah, sure. It's all fired up." Dick nodded distractedly as he counted his chips. "Maddie, stop your bitching. You still have a suit here. The maid put it out with the towels."

Madison's face lit up. "I knew there was a reason I stayed with you," she said, looking happy for the first time in Logan's recent memory.

"Towels?" Veronica asked as Conner came out of the bathroom and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "We're going in the hot tub!" she told him excitedly.

"Oh yeah, towels are outside on the side of the pool house," Lilly spoke up.

"But, Dick," Madison whined, "it's dark out there."

Logan saw his opening. "I'll go out with you. Veronica can grab the towels, and you can grab your suit," he offered, thankful that this was going so well.

Logan nodded to Lilly and she plopped a round of drinks down in the center of the table and stepped out the French doors behind him, Veronica and Madison. As the three of them rounded the side of the pool house, Lilly stopped. Logan peeked out the corner of his eye to see Lilly stop just outside the doors and begin to strip her clothes off slowly in full sight of the boys playing poker.

Logan heard Conner call out, "Hot chick, poolside...bikini," as he Madison and Veronica crossed to the outdoor cabinets just out of sight of the others.

* * *

"Only you idiots would want to go in a hot tub on one of the coldest nights in December," Madison grumbled as she threw open the cabinet and began pulling out towels. She handed the stack to Veronica and began rifling through it, Veronica assumed, looking for her bikini.

"No one forced you to come, Madison," Veronica spoke up. She'd played nice so far this evening, but being in Madison's presence had grated on her the entire time.  _Enough of push-over, Veronica. It's time for Madison to get a dose of the real me_. Veronica knew that there was no bikini in there. Lilly had made sure it wasn't.  _Time to make my move._  "In fact, I don't even remember anyone inviting you," she finished crisply, knowing it would spark Madison's anger.

"Yes, well as Lilly said, I'm playing hostess here, and I have no idea how you were invited at all," she snapped. "Where is the damn thing?" she said, annoyed. She'd almost thrown everything out of the top shelves.

"Yes, Madison. You've made it very clear that you have a problem with me. Ever since my first day at Neptune High—"

"I haven't done anything to you, Veronica Echolls. You prance around the school like you own the place. The boys drool over you, and the girls want to be you. Even the untouchable Logan Mars hangs on your every word. It's disgusting. Well, I just want you to know that you didn't fool me for a minute." Madison slammed the doors of the cabinet shut and opened the one next to it as she spoke, never once looking at Veronica or Logan.

"So, that's usually when you ignore a person, Madison. You don't get them charged with a felony and drug them," Veronica hissed.

"So what if I did? You can't ever prove it. You can't connect me to any of it, Veronica Echolls. Not even your lap-dog, Logan, can solve this one," Madison shut the second cabinet's doors and whirled around to face Veronica.

"I, I just want to understand. You don't even know me Madison. Why would you do that?" Veronica demanded.

"And how did you do it?" Veronica cringed at Logan's question. She knew that he wanted to be sure they got enough to be certain Madison would get in trouble, but they couldn't push her too far or she'd get suspicious.

"It's not like it was hard," she sneered. "Lamb is hot, but he's a complete idiot. He told me all about the IDs he took from that stupid Rick kid; the one who's dad got arrested for embezzlement last year. Anyway, I just asked if I could have them. Then I stuck them in your locker and made an anonymous report. Simple." Madison smiled, looking entirely too pleased with herself.

Veronica stepped forward, ready to tear Madison to shreds. "But the party! You drugged me? Do you have any idea what could have happened?" Logan pulled Veronica into his side, where she stayed, sure that he had just adjusted her so that the camera still had a clear view of Madison.

"Oh, who cares? So you made a fool of yourself. I just wanted pictures of you doing something your dad would be upset about. I heard him say you'd have to go back to LA if you didn't behave. Seemed liked the easiest way to get you in trouble that you couldn't get out of like you did the IDs. Thanks for ruining that, too, Logan. You just had to be all 'white knight'." She dramatically made quote fingers. "I should have drugged you, too!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Logan demanded.

"I'm Lilly's best friend. I wasn't going to let her take that from me."

"Well, Merry Christmas to you, too," Veronica deadpanned.

"Pa-rum-pum-pum," Logan quipped dryly, and then he turned and gave her a quick smile. A flood of relief washed through her. They'd done it! "You know what? I'm not feeling much like a dip in the jacuzzi after all. Let's go get Conner and go home," Veronica said.

"That sounds like a great idea." Logan nodded. He walked over to the garden gnome and pulled out the small camera to show Madison. "Thanks, Madison, I think we got what we need. So, now I'm going to give you a twenty minute head start. I suggest you take it." His voice was menacing.

Veronica kept her eyes on Madison and saw the moment the other girl realized what she'd just done. "But…" she started and closed her mouth and began to hyperventilate.

At the sight of Madison's distress, Veronica felt all the tension she'd been feeling that night drain away. She had actually done it. She had all the information that she needed to prove her innocence. Veronica felt drunk with power. She flashed Madison the famous Echolls smile when she spoke again. "But be sure to check your email later tonight, 'kay?" she said, her words suddenly chipper like they were best friends. "I have a feeling this is going to be a popular attachment."

Madison was seething with anger. She took off across the Casablancas' backyard and through the side gate.

"That was fun! Can we do it again?" Veronica asked instead of hugging Logan like she wanted to because the cameras were still rolling.

"Not till next year," he replied dryly. "I've had enough fun for December already. Do you really want to send her confession out to the whole school right now?"

"No, I just didn't want to look at her anymore tonight." Veronica smiled up at him.

Logan took her by the hand and led her back toward the pool house. "You tell Lilly, and I'll call Mac and Wallace to retrieve the rest of the equipment," he told her.

Veronica was surprised when she didn't find Lilly in the jacuzzi, nor anywhere outside. She waited for Logan to join her and then reached out and opened the pool house door to see Lilly standing near the table. She was shaking out a pair of men's pants.

"What the hell?" Logan gasped and then laughed.

Veronica looked past Lilly to see what caused such a reaction. "Is this Neptune's version of Secret Santa? Because in LA, we played it differently!"


	9. On the ninth day of Christmas, the poker buddies gave to me...nine interrogations so Weevil could get back his money

**Chapter 9: On the ninth day of Christmas, the poker buddies gave to me...nine interrogations so Weevil could get back his money**

* * *

**Wednesday, December 22nd**

Veronica picked at her breakfast, eating slowly at the kitchen island as she waited for Logan to come over. There was no point in hurrying; he wasn't due to arrive for a while, and she was used to eating alone. Her mom barely ever got up before 10:00 a.m. and Trina had, thankfully, made herself scarce lately.  _Probably back up in LA with Daddy Dearest,_  she mused bitterly and took another bite of her toast. At least Mrs. Navarro was there and had made breakfast. Veronica wondered how early Mrs. Navarro actually came, and about how Weevil, and whoever else lived with her, had to make their own breakfast...and lunch. And probably sometimes dinner. Suddenly she felt guilty. Mrs. Navarro would, no doubt, be here Christmas day also. Veronica made up her mind right then to make sure that Mrs. Navarro got some time off after Christmas. The rest of her family would likely retreat back to LA and wouldn't notice anyway. The thought made her feel better. She might be rich, but she didn't want to be lumped in with Madison Sinclair and the rest of the 09ers. And, next year she might be on her own entirely, which was scary but oddly comforting at the same time.

A mental imagine of her dinner with the Fennels and Marses popped into her head. The idea of spending time with a real family warmed her. Maybe she'd have to pop over there for a meal over Christmas break. She'd plant the idea in Logan's head when he arrived. Anything beat spending Christmas break eating three meals a day alone, or the alternative, spending it with Aaron.

A shuffling sound from behind her made her back stiffen.  _Did Aaron come home while I was out last night?_ He was the only other early riser in the family. Her heart was in her throat, but she turned to face her fear. She released a sigh when she saw that it was only Trina wearing sunglasses and sweats. Her sister wasn't a welcome sight, but she was a far cry better than Aaron.

"Guess you partied hard last night. I'm surprised you didn't stay in LA." Veronica couldn't help but sound as bitter as she always felt where Trina was concerned.

"Nope," Trina returned. It was then that Veronica noticed that her sister was limping. A lot.

"Hey, Treen. You don't actually  _have_  to get beat up when you play 'Dead Hooker #3' on CSI. They can do that with makeup these days," Veronica bit out.

"Shut up, Veronica," winced Trina as she hobbled by Veronica, slowly making her way to the fridge. Despite herself, Veronica found herself concerned.

Veronica stood up and tore the sunglasses from Trina's face. "What happened to you?" Veronica asked, keeping her voice even.

"Like you care," Trina shot back.

"Tell me!" Veronica demanded.

"Don't you have some high school games you could be playing right now? I hear Twister can get pretty hot. You could invite the sheriff's son." Trina's attempt at deflection wasn't hard to miss.

"Trina, did Dad—"

"No! Dad would never—are you still going on and on about Dad being the big bad wolf? Cigarette burns and broken clavicles. Oh, the stories you used to tell. I—" Trina suddenly cut herself off, looking over Veronica's shoulder at something. "Oh, hey, Logan," she cooed, suddenly standing up straight and looking not so disheveled.  _Always acting; it's the Echolls way_.

Veronica spun to see Logan standing in the doorway.  _How long has he been standing there? Did he hear Trina?_ Based on the look on his face, he had. Logan knew a lot about what she'd been through at the hands of her father, but hearing it stated so callously by Trina wasn't going to sit well with him.

She shook her head at him, hoping he wouldn't intervene. Then she turned back to Trina and mouthed 'no!', and for once, Trina seemed to take the hint.

"If it wasn't Dad, then who? Tell me," Veronica ordered. "Is it that wannabe producer boyfriend of yours. I thought you'd left him in Australia."

Trina sighed at that. "I did. At least I thought I did," Trina moaned. Veronica was all astonishment; she'd never seen Trina show this much vulnerability before. At least not in front of her. "He got crazy there. I think it was the pressure. He kept calling me and started showing up wherever I did. First New York and even when I got back to LA."

"So, he's the reason you're in Neptune." Veronica had known Trina had been hiding out, but was surprised it was from an ex.

"Well, I didn't lie about Dad. I went there first when I landed and he was with someone who couldn't be much older than you," Trina admitted. It was as close to disapproval of Aaron Echolls as had ever come out of her sister's mouth. "So, I came down here. Not as much security, but I didn't think he'd look for me down here."

"Trina, you have to report him." Logan spoke up for the first time. Veronica looked up at him when he reached her side and saw fury in his eyes. "Just come with me. Come down to the station and talk to my dad. He's the sheriff."

Trina stepped forward as if to caress Logan's cheek. Veronica wanted to slap her hand away, but Logan must have anticipated it and took a step backward. "No, I don't think so. Thanks for the offer, though."

"What is it with you Echolls women and refusing help? Refusing law enforcement. The sheriff's office is there for a reason." Logan was adamant. Veronica wished she had the same faith in people that he did.

Trina smiled at him and then grabbed Veronica's orange juice off the counter and made her way toward the staircase. "No wonder Veronica has a little crush on you. You actually care and think that you can change things. It's...refreshing. Naïve, but refreshing," she said as she doddered up the stairs.

"She's not going to budge on this one, I'm afraid," Veronica said, leaning into Logan's chest and wrapping her arms around him. She sighed contentedly.  _This is exactly what I needed._

His arms came crashing around her and he held her so tightly that it hurt her ribs a little bit. But she didn't mind. "You deserve so much more than this. You all do—you, your mom...Trina. But I don't know how to convince you. I don't know how to help you!" His voice was a bit raw as he picked Veronica up, never breaking the hug, and placed her on the chair at the counter that she'd been using earlier.

"I'm learning. Slowly," she whispered into his shirt. She tried to hold back the tears that were collecting in her eyes. No one but Conner had ever spoken to her this way or tried to keep her safe. No one had ever made her think that she was worth saving.

They stayed that way for many moments until a realization came to her. Veronica pulled away and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Maybe there  _is_  something you could do to help." She looked up into his eyes and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Could you look into her loser ex? Maybe see if you can dig up some dirt?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course! Who is he?" Logan leaned down to give her a lingering kiss before he opened his phone.

"Dylan Goran. G-o-r-a-n. He's trying to get some movie produced. 'Escaping the Past' or 'Your Past' or some piece of shit. He tapped me to get Conner involved, and when that didn't work, he moved on to my dad. He's still trying probably." Veronica shrugged.

Logan had finished typing everything into his phone and closed it with a sigh. "I'll do a little digging and will let you know when I learn something. In the meantime…" he leaned in and Veronica leaned in as well, ready for a kiss. He placed a quick peck on her forehead and instead reached around her to snatch up her toast and took a giant bite.

"Tease," she pouted.

"Mmmm," he said, savoring the buttered bread like it was the best thing he'd ever tasted.

"First, Trina took my juice and...that  _was_  my toast."

"That's why it tastes so good!" he smiled and handed the rest of the piece out to her. "Oh, no? Do you need someone to fetch you some juice, princess?" he teased.

"It's a good thing I love you!" she replied, quickly popping the bite of toast that was left into her mouth.

"It is a good thing!" he agreed, reaching for her bacon. He laughed at her protest. "What? I'm starving. You said you wanted to tag along with me this morning while I investigate the poker party. I had to get started early, and some of us don't have a housekeeper who makes us a three-course breakfast."

"No, you clearly don't need one. You just come over to my house and steal my breakfast instead," she huffed when he eyed her eggs hungrily.

"Damn straight!" he laughed.

At that moment, Mrs. Navarro entered the room and smiled at Logan. "Good morning, Mr. Logan. Would you like some breakfast, too?" she asked him helpfully.

Logan smiled at Veronica and sat down at the stool next to her. He swiped her plate over to him and began digging in. "No thanks, Mrs. Navarro," he said pleasantly. "But Veronica looks like she may need something," he added playfully, smiling as he took another big bite.

"I'll whip you two up something right away." She smiled at Veronica and gave her a wink before opening the fridge and pulling out food to prepare.

"Hey, how about you work with Mac today instead of me. Then you two can check up on our pal, Dylan."

"It did get me thinking...wondering if maybe Dylan is the stalker. I mean, we just assumed that it's someone after my dad, but we could be wrong. Someone could be after Trina, instead. I mean, no one has ever actually put a note inside the house before; they're usually just mailed or delivered. This seems different. It could be Dylan. I never took him to be this much of a creep, but clearly Trina wasn't being completely honest about him so anything's possible."

"Wait! The stalker you came into the station about was inside your house?" Logan set down the fork in his hand with a clatter and turned to look at her squarely.

"Yes. The letter was in the house when I came downstairs the other morning. We assumed it was an employee or something like that. Someone interested in my dad." At Logan's skeptical look, she continued, "It happens more than you'd think." She shrugged.

"No wonder my dad sent someone over here right away. This is serious. You were home when some psycho was in your house?" he asked. "And you don't seem worried at all."

"Logan we're getting ready for a party. Did you think my mom was responsible for decorating the house like this?" She swung her stool around and gestured to the sitting room.

"I guess I didn't think about it," he admitted. "We just have a tree with a bunch of Padres ornaments on it."

Veronica smiled. Most of the time they were so in sync that she forgot how different their realities were. "Well  _this_ ," she motioned again toward the house with at least three huge Christmas trees in it, "takes an army!" she announced. "There are people everywhere. All day. They'll get here soon and you'll see."

"Good thing we're heading out after breakfast. I've got a busy day today trying to track down Weevil's money, and the less contact all these strangers have with you, the better," he said protectively. "And you're not staying here alone at night until this is all figured out."

"And you accused Conner of high-handedness," she sighed, leaning into him. She secretly loved how protective he was of her.

"Yes, well that was different. That was before I knew how hard it was to keep you safe and out of trouble." He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.

* * *

It was with reluctance that Logan left Veronica at Mac’s, but there was no way in hell he was leaving her at her her house; not with all the temporary staff there.  Logan drummed his fingers on the side of his steering wheel as he decided who he wanted to talk to first.  I’ve got Sean, Duncan, Dick, Weevil, Lilly, and Conner.  Where to start...where to start?

Luckily, it was obvious to have Veronica start with Conner, so he shot a quick text to Conner to check in with her as soon as he was free.  Then he went back down his list as he got himself a drive through coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts.  He stared down at his cup and laughed, Duncan it is.

Logan turned his car toward the 90909 and made his way to the Kane estate.  It had been a while since he’d had a reason to go there. Unfortunately, a lot of happy childhood memories were now tainted by the things his mother had done.  Logan took a deep breath, I wonder where she is.  Does Jake know?  It was a train of thought he’d considered quite a few times but never pursued.  Lianne had hurt him and his dad, and finding her wasn’t going to change that.  But pragmatism wouldn’t change the fact that he still wondered...and worried.

The security guard waved Logan in with a pleasant, “Good morning, Mr. Mars. Miss Kane said you might be stopping by; she’s out, but the younger Mr. Kane is home.”   

Logan nodded, thanked the guard and drove around to the side to park. He was about to head for the door when he spotted Duncan out on the back patio by the pool, so he bypassed the house and potential discomfort of running into Celeste.

“Hey, Duncan!” Logan called to get his attention.

Duncan turned to him with a surprised expression, “Logan?  What are you doing here?”

Sometimes Duncan could be so obtuse.  It wasn’t like there were very many reasons that Logan would be stopping by… “Oh, you know, I thought I’d have tea with Celeste and maybe I’d ask your sister to the winter formal.  Come on, Donut, I’m here to ask about the poker game.”

“Right. Last night.” Duncan’s expression was blank.

“Yeah, man, last night.” Logan took in Duncan’s vacant expression and flat tone of voice. He found himself growing impatient. “Seriously, what the hell is going on with you?”

“Nothing...nothing at all.  Never better.  So the game.  Well, I lost a grand and my laptop, so that sucked.”  Duncan shrugged and dropped to sit at the edge of the pool, dangling his feet into the water.

“Um...yeah.  You lost a grand, but Weevil won six and now it’s gone.  Do you have any idea who might have taken the money?”  Logan asked. Unsure of how to go about approaching the guy that used to be his friend, and who now was virtually a stranger, Logan kicked off his sandals and sat down next to Duncan.

“No idea.  I mean, everything was pretty weird last night.  I had a lot to drink, so I’m not really sure.”

> “It's the new me. I am projecting a ghetto aesthetic. Word,” Sean said, looking straight at Weevil.
> 
> “Ouch, you got me!” Weevil said mockingly.
> 
> “Hey, leave him alone,” Duncan scolded Sean. “He’s the only one besides me who bothered to tip the delivery boy. You left him like four percent and you’re like the richest one of us,” he shook his head at Sean.
> 
> “It’s Christmas, even for delivery boys,” Weevil agreed.
> 
> “Look at the Harvard-bound boy; he can do percentages when he can barely still hold his cards.  Slow down with the liquor, dude,” Dick called out.

Logan sighed. “I remember that part, Duncan.  I was still in the game at that point.”

“Oh, you were?  Huh...I thought you’d already left.  Anyway, I’d say it was Dick, or maybe Sean?  They both hate Weevil.  I don’t even know why he was there,”  Duncan said just as a pretty blonde walked out of the house.

“Duncan, you shouldn’t be so close to the—oh, hi, Logan.”

“Hey Meg,” Logan said, surprised to see her. He’d always had a soft spot for Meg and had never really understood why she’d dated Duncan; she was one of the few 09ers with a heart. But why is she here now? Didn’t they break up a few weeks ago?  “How are you?”

“She’s fine,” Duncan said, getting up.  “Come on, Meg, I should take you home.” Then he headed into the house, leaving a confused-looking Meg standing a few feet from Logan.

“He’s been under a lot of stress,” Meg said softly.  “It was nice seeing you, Logan.”

“You too, Meg.  I’ll just let myself out.  Can you ask Duncan to call me if he remembers anything else about the game last night? He’s not really...engaging.”

Meg nodded, and Logan could tell that she understood exactly what he meant. “Sure.  I’ll see you later.”  Meg turned and disappeared back into the house.  Logan was certain he’d seen tears building in her eyes.  

What the hell is going on here?  He sighed and stood up, shaking his wet legs a bit before putting his sandals back on.  That was strange...he thought, getting back in his car. He pulled out his phone to update Mac.

**  
Logan:** ‘Duncan was interesting.  Can u and V talk to Dick?  I’m headed to see Weevil’

* * *

Veronica smiled when she saw Conner's name flash across her phone's screen. She quickly connected the call and put him on speaker. "Done with Vanity Fair already? That was quick!"

"Yeah, it went smoothly. It was the same old shit questions, so I gave the same old crap answers. The shoot was fun though," he said. "So what did you need to talk to me about?"

"It's about the party last night. Mac and I are here helping Logan get to the bottom of it. Logan sort of figures he owes Weevil for the big tip on the dognapping case, so anything you know would be great."

"Hi, Mac," Conner called through the phone. Veronica watched as her friend lit up.

"Hi, Conner! Sorry I didn't get to see you last night. I was on-duty," Mac responded.

"I was warned. It was quite a night, and if I had to take my best guess, my money would be on Dick or Duncan for the steal," Conner said.

"I'd keep my money in my pocket around these guys if I were you, Conner, but I can get onboard. Tell me why."

"Easy. Casablancas is an entitled racist. He hated that Weevil was there at all."

 

 

 

> " _Ah," Dick sighed, taking a long whiff of the cigar in his hand. "Sabor Cubano. You people can hand-roll like nobody's business."_
> 
> _Weevil sloughed off Dick's jibe. "Hey, Larkin, what can you tell us about Jennifer Lopez? I hear Gigli is her best work yet," he snickered sarcastically._
> 
> " _I can't say I know her very well," Conner responded diplomatically. "And I didn't see Gigli."_
> 
> " _Oh, come on, Weevil," Dick groaned. "Actor's aren't like your people. They don't all just know each other."_
> 
> " _That's like the tenth racist thing you've said," Conner countered. "I know you all think you're hot shit because you're loaded, but none of you earned a penny of it yourselves. It's pitiful."_
> 
> " _Neither did your girlfriend, asswipe," Dick declared. "Get off your soap box already! If Lilly hadn't—" Dick cut himself off. "Well, no one wants him here. And I don't even want to know what taco truck he robbed to come up with the buy in, so keep your mouth shut."_

 

"Besides, he was the one who put the money in the box to begin with," Conner told Veronica and Mac. "It's his pool house. He could have set it all up. And, if he didn't, why wouldn't he have called the cops? Six grand was just taken from his house!" Conner said matter-of-factly. "But the one who had the most time to take the money was mister future President himself, Duncan Kane."

"What?" Mac's tone was skeptical. "Duncan's got a trust that would make even you and Veronica weep. What motive could he have?"

"Besides just being so vapid that no one would suspect him? Maybe he's a klepto or something; how do I know how he gets his jollies?" Conner asked. "While Kane's motive seems sketchy, what he  _did_  have was opportunity. Remember Lilly's bikini at the party?"

"Yeah, thanks for being yet another guy to objectify women, Conner," Veronica couldn't help but scoff.

"Well, it sure took the pressure off everyone paying attention to you and Logan leaving with Madison, didn't it?"

 

 

 

> " _Hot chick, poolside...bikini," Conner called out._
> 
> _That got everyone scrambling. Conner looked to his left and saw that Dick was practically drooling down the pane in the French door, and Sean was licking his lips. He looked back in the room to see Duncan ducking his face into his hands and shaking his head, clearly not amused._
> 
> " _You guys, she's my sister!" he protested loudly. "Stop!"_
> 
> " _Please bend over, Lilly," Sean moaned. "Grab that hair tie. Yeah, that's it."_
> 
> " _You're all going to hell!" Duncan groaned, his hands now over his ears._
> 
> " _A girl only puts on a bikini_ like that  _and stands in front of a group of guys_ like us _if she wants one thing: to put on a show, dude." Dick actually wiped his mouth as he said the last words._
> 
> _Weevil stepped between Conner and Dick and smacked Dick upside the head. "Put your eyes back in your head, man. Have a little respect," Weevil said, his words a clear warning._
> 
> _Conner grabbed Weevil by the shoulders and turns him back toward the poker table. "Relax, man. They're just enjoying the view."_

 

"So, Dick was at the window?" Veronica asked into the phone.

"You just accused him a few minutes ago," Mac pointed out.

"Yes, everyone but Duncan was at the window. We all had our backs to him the whole time," Conner confirmed.

"Well, that gives us something to go on. Thanks, Conner," Veronica told him.

"Hey, I'm done shooting till after the new year. Now that I got this Vanity Fair thing taken care of, I'm all yours. I can make it down for the Christmas Eve party on Friday, no problem." Conner sounded pleased.

"Thanks. Any chance you could come down sooner? Aaron's on his way down tomorrow. He said he's going to help my mom get ready for the shindig, but he never lifts a finger, so I assume it's just to torture me." Veronica took note that Mac was still listening to their conversation and quickly switched Conner off of speaker phone.

"Am I off speaker?" Conner asked.

"The telepathy is strong with us! Yes," she smiled as she replied.

"If Aaron is coming down tomorrow, then I'll come back tonight. Maybe being unhappy to see me will give him a direction to point his attention," Conner continued.

Veronica loved that he was reading her mind, yet again. "Thanks so much. Really. I don't know how much longer—"

"It doesn't matter. Mars and I will work it out," Conner said protectively.

Veronica felt guilty. "I promise to work it out so that you have New Year's Eve off. I want you to have a little fun."

"We will keep this up as long as we have to, V. I'm serious." Conner warned, "No protesting from you. I don't mind spending time with you, and your Neptune friends don't suck either."

That cheered her up immensely. "Thanks. I love you too. I have the best pseudo and real boyfriends a girl could ever ask for," she uttered breathily.

"And don't you forget it," he joked. "All right, I'm packing up now. It'll take me a little while to get down there. I have some things to take care of back at my place. I'll call you when I'm close."

"See you then." Veronica snapped the phone shut. To Mac she said, "Looks like we have a dinner date."

Mac groaned. "Well  _you_  do. It's Mackenzie family game night tonight. My mom already set out Settlers of Catan. We have our own custom board; it's so... _Mackenzie_."

"Are you kidding? Conner loves Settlers. It's like his kryptonite; if it's being played within 100 yards of him can't resist, all other priorities go out the window. He gets a little fanatical about it."

"Well then, my lips are sealed. I don't think my parents could handle Conner Larkin action hero  _and_  board game addict." Mac laughed.

"I guess we should hit the road. Where do you think we should start, Dick or Duncan?" Veronica asked.

Mac opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by the sound of an incoming text. Veronica watched her friend read the message. "Dick," she groaned. "Logan just texted that he's leaving Duncan's right now and has 'interesting news'." Mac used air quotes. "He is heading to Weevil's and will fill us in later."

"Dick's it is, then!" Veronica grinned.

"Ugh, no thank you!" Mac gagged theatrically.

"I don't mind going alone if I can use your car," Veronica offered.

Mac wasted no time. She crossed the room and grabbed her keys off of her desk and tossed them to Veronica. "Here you go, if you really don't mind. I'll owe you big time."

"It's no problem. I have a lot of experience dealing with Dick-types on set and in life in general." Veronica grabbed her bag off of Mac's bed and made for the door. "I'll check back in with you soon!"

* * *

Logan spent most of his drive to Wallace's house deep in thought. He'd known Duncan Kane for years, but they hadn't really been close since the whole dramatic debacle with their parents. But the Duncan that sat by the pool with him just minutes earlier was a complete stranger. Flat and without affect. And seeing Meg there just added to Logan's confusion. He knew they had broken up, but the gossip mill hadn't provided any reasonable explanations, and Logan had been so busy with his own life that, despite surfing together several times, he really hadn't had a conversation with Duncan in months.

Not really knowing any more than he had before seeing Duncan, Logan decided to refocus. He pulled up in front of Wallace's house just as Wallace was locking the front door.

"All right, Logan. What's going on?" Wallace asked as he climbed into the Xterra.

"Our best buddy, Weevil, got scammed out of six grand last night. And since he did us a solid with the dognappers, I've decided to help him. So I was hoping you'd go talk to him with me." Logan smirked at Wallace who groaned.

"Really, man? Weevil?" Wallace shook his head, a slight scowl visible from Logan peripheral vision. "I can't believe he was there last night. How do you think he pulled off an invite?"

"I think it might have had something to do with Lilly. When we first got there, Weevil was off in some quiet corner in the yard with her. But either way, he  _did_  get an invite and at the end of the game all the money was gone. Of course, that happened while Veronica and I were outside getting Madison's lovely confession, so I don't know much more, despite talking with Duncan earlier," Logan explained as they headed across town to the area where Weevil lived.

"No surprise Kane was no help. That kid gets weirder all the time. I mean, it was great that he helped with the phones and all when they were being an ass to Veronica, but…"

"Yeah, he was really off today. And Meg was there. I'm pretty sure she was telling him to stay away from the pool. It was beyond strange. But anyway, now I'm kind of regretting not having you set up cameras  _inside_  the pool house, too."

"How could we have known there'd be two things worth filming? Have you watched the Madison footage yet? I can't wait to see her in orange."

"Not yet, I was waiting to go through it with Veronica. As for getting to see her in orange, I wouldn't hold my breath. I'm going to give it all over to my dad later and we'll see what happens. But, at the very least, everyone at school is going to know what a bitch she is. Of course, how far we take it is up to Veronica, and she and I haven't discussed it yet. Not to mention the implications of Madison saying she got the IDs from Deputy Lamb." Logan rubbed his temple.

"I always thought he was stupid, but that is almost unbelievable." Wallace shook his head.

"That is exactly the problem," Logan agreed. "I'm not sure what my dad can do about any of it. Ugh, my dad…I am not looking forward to that conversation. We haven't really spoken since he agreed to let me be a part of last night's shenanigans; what was Mac calling it, Operation Dumbo?"

"Dum-bim-bo, actually. You never really said what happened. He sure looked pissed seeing you and Veronica in bed together though," Wallace said, referring to dinner two nights previous when Keith had walked in right after Logan kissed Veronica on the nose.

"Pissed. Yeah, he was pretty mad and disappointed. And I have no strength when he pulls the D-card. I totally caved and told him about Veronica and I sleeping together." Logan sighed as he pulled into Weevil's neighborhood.

"Like, 'Oh, Dad, we just slept in the same bed and shared a few innocent kisses', or like 'Dad, I had sex'?" Wallace asked.

"Um...yeah, the second one," Logan cringed.

"Dude! What'd you go and do that for? And hold up, you and Veronica had sex! You've been holding out on a brotha! Brother."

"Oh, yeah, cause I'm going to tell you all about  _that!_  Forget it, Wallace. I don't think Veronica would appreciate my sharing the intimate details," Logan chided, pulling into the Navarro's driveway. "Now get your game face on. We need to get as much info out of Weevil as possible," Logan said, getting out of the SUV and walking up to the front door. Logan paused before knocking on the door, "Look tough."

The door sprang open as they approached, "If it isn't the Hardy Boys." Weevil scowled. "You found my money yet, Mars?"

"Not exactly. And it would really help if you could maybe tell us a little more about what happened while I was out of the room," Logan offered.

"Is that so? So what's  _he_  here for?" Weevil nodded at Wallace.

Wallace shrugged. "I'm the muscle."

Weevil snorted, serious expression finally broken. "If Wally here is the muscle, what's that make you, Mars?"

Logan smiled. "Obviously, I'm the brains."

"Naw, man, Mac's definitely the brains," Wallace teased.

"Leaving me to be the beauty. You know I'm glad you've finally acknowledged my magnetism."

"Yeah, yeah, Mars, you're the beauty all right. Cut the banter, and come on back. I'm working on my bike."

Weevil started in on what happened after Logan and the girls had left the pool house. "Let's see everyone perved on Lilly except for Duncan. And then we got back into the game…"

 

 

 

> _Dick took a deep pull off his cigar and tossed a handful of chips into the pot, "Five hundred."_
> 
> " _Call." Weevil added his chips. Everyone around the table smiled at Weevil's swagge—_

 

"Seriously, Weevs? The rest of the players were impressed with your swag—"

"Shut it, Mars. Who's telling this story? Now where was I…"

 

 

 

> _Everyone around the table smiled at Weevil's swagger._
> 
> _Dick, looking a little constipated, pushed his remaining chips into the pot. "All in," he said as the rest of the tabled ooo-ed._
> 
> _Weevil picked out the right amount of chips, since he was quite a bit ahead of Dick in winnings, "Boo-hoo," he said, ready to lay his cards down._
> 
> _With a prematurely triumphant yell, Dick tossed down his cards, "Read 'em and weep, Weevil. Forty-two cards and I can win with forty of them."_
> 
> " _Just flip the card."_
> 
> " _Okay. But the river's gonna get ya, brah." Dick slapped the card down on the table. "Boom!"_
> 
> _Everyone at the table started laughing at the sight of the two of hearts, just what Weevil needed to win._
> 
> " _I can't believe he beat you with a pair of twos," Duncan giggled drunkenly._

 

"So that's when I asked for my hard earned money—"

"Hard earned?" Wallace asked incredulously.

"Yes, Kobe, hard earned. I had to put up with all those obnoxious white boys all evening. Dick Casablancas, Wally. I had to spend like two hours with Dick Casablancas."

Logan chuckled and Wallace begrudgingly agreed.

"So, that's pretty much it. Lilly had just come back inside and she helped me search through all of their clothes. You and Hollywood's girl—I guess you two are sharing her," Weevil snorted again. "Well, you two came back in then so you know the rest," Weevil finished, tossing a greasy rag onto the ground after wiping off a wrench.

"You didn't search Lilly's clothes," Logan stated.

"No, she was in a tiny bikini. You saw...nowhere to hide a roll of money that thick." Weevil winked. "I think you know what I'm talking about, Mars."

"Can't say that I do."

"Say what you want, but tight little blondes are clearly your type, and Lilly's been sniffing around you for years," Weevil pushed.

"Users aren't my type, Weevil. Be careful with that one; she's a man eater."

"Says the guy hooking up with Conner Larkin's girl…" Logan frowned at Weevil, who held his hands up in surrender, "Whatever, I'll keep my opinions to myself. I got the six grand earmarked for something special."

"What's that, Weevil? New paint job for the bike?" Wallace smirked.

"Naw, my  _abuelita_. She works so hard I'm gonna take us all to see her sister in Arizona. If she can get some time off from Casa Echolls, that is."

Logan looked at Weevil thoughtfully. "I'll mention it to Veronica. I'm pretty sure she said her parents would be gone after Christmas. Maybe she could stay with Mac, and then they wouldn't need anyone at the house."

Weevil gave them his first genuine smile. "Thanks for looking into this, Logan. And for talking to Veronica; it would mean a lot."

"You're welcome." Logan bumped Weevil's outstretched fist and turned to walk away, then stopped. "Hey, Weevs, you've got Duncan's laptop don't you?"

"I do."

"Could I maybe hold on to it for you?" Logan asked, keeping as neutral a face as possible.

Weevil raised an eyebrow. "You could. You gonna tell me why?"

"Maybe later. It might be nothing, but I'd like the 'brains' to take a look at it."

"All right." Weevil reached into the saddle bag on his bike and pulled out a sleek silver laptop. "Don't break it."

"Thanks, Weevs. I'll be in touch." Logan turned to walk away again, and seeing Wallace had questions, silenced him with a slight shake of the head and gestured to the car.

"So what happened when you and Veronica came back inside?" Wallace asked as they were climbing back into the Xterra.

 

 

 

> " _Is this Neptune's version of Secret Santa? Because in LA, we played it differently!" Veronica laughed out loud._
> 
> " _We only left you guys alone for like five minutes. Do I even want to know?" Logan asked as he stepped past Veronica and into the pool house. When he noticed Weevil behind a pile of clothes, he continued, "I guess I don't have to ask who won!"_
> 
> " _Laugh it up, Mars." Conner spoke up first. "You know I usually get paid six figures for this," he grumbled._
> 
> " _Let me fill you in, Angela Lansbury. I just got my money stolen," Weevil said from behind a pile of clothes._
> 
> " _Yeah, I gathered that," Logan delivered without even cracking a smile._
> 
> " _Well, the money's not in Sean's pockets," Lilly said, handing a small stack of clothes to Weevil. The biker took them from her and tossed them at Friedrich's face._
> 
> _Weevil walked around the room, clearly considering items around him. "Here's how it's gonna be," Weevil said, spinning the stud in his ear and then reaching for the watch Logan recognized as Conner's Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute. "I think I'll take some collateral until I get my money."_
> 
> " _Come on, man, the buy in was a grand; that watch—"_
> 
> " _Conner, it's okay. Weevil, why don't you let me deal with it?" Logan offered._
> 
> " _Like one of your cases?" Weevil looked thoughtful._
> 
> " _That's a great idea. Eli, it's Logan; he'll find your money," Lilly offered, earning more than a few interested stares at the use of Weevil's given name._
> 
> " _Yeah,_ Eli _, no need to cause a commotion," Sean said snidely._

 

Logan laughed at the memory of Weevil's angry face. "At that point, I was just glad that Lilly talked him into leaving. Of course, he had grabbed Duncan's laptop—" Logan set the computer in question on the floor at Wallace's feet, "which we now have. He took watches off Conner and Sean and a weird egg thing from Dick."

Wallace nodded along. "What do you think?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. It wasn't Conner. He has a quirky sense of humor, but I don't think stealing is part of it. I couldn't get a read on Duncan at all, but why would he take it?"

"Dude's worth like a billion dollars or something. That wouldn't make sense," Wallace agreed.

"I really don't know Sean. I guess he needs to be on the list after we meet up with Mac and Veronica. And as for Dick, I wouldn't put it past him. He's an ass, and I could see him not wanting Weevil to get the money. We need to see what the girls found out."

Wallace nodded and turned up the radio. ' _When she wants something / She don't want to pay for it.'_  Jane's Addiction played over the sound system.

"Are we sure Lilly and Weevil aren't in this together?" Wallace asked.

Logan groaned. "Shit, we have to talk to Lilly, too."

* * *

Veronica pulled up to the Casablancas house and parked in a far, out-of-the-way corner of the driveway. She didn't bother with the front door, opting instead to go around the side of the house and through the gate to the pool house, just as she had the night before. But the pool house looked nothing like it had the night before. It was torn apart. Everything, from board games to dishes, was strewn about the couches, tables, counters and chairs. The poker table was a mess, too; holiday candy had been dumped out across it.

Dick sat on a chair, amidst all the mess, holding a game controller in his hand and staring at the television in front of him.  _Well, someone's been on a treasure hunt. I guess we can rule him out._

"Is this what you do every year after a party, or just the ones where Madison admits to cheating on you to go after yours truly?" she asked.

"Seriously? I must have missed that. Maddie left because you and your sidekick chased her out," he grumbled. He didn't look surprised to see her there or even concerned about it. "Thanks for knocking, by the way," Dick grunted after a quick glance at her and turned his attention back to the TV.

_Interesting_. "Oh, is that her story?" Veronica shrugged and walked around the pool house, taking stock of the scene.

"Anything else missing besides the money?"

"No. Well, I guess my step-mommy's faberge egg. Which makes even less fucking sense than the rest of it. Weevil took it as he left, so it's him you should be talking to right now."

"You're pointing the finger at Weevil? Why would he need collateral at all if he took the money?" Veronica pointed out.

"Well, I didn't take the money, so I want my shit back. And before Sadie notices her egg is gone. Which she will, by the way, when the maid gets in here to clean all this up."

"Who do you think took the money?" Veronica inquired, moving in close to stand between him and the TV.

"Well, don't mind me, I'll just pause," Dick said, finally meeting her eyes. "You're a pesky one." He got up and strode to the fridge and got himself a beer.

"Hey, enough with the attitude; I'm the one trying to get your stuff back, here."

"Fine, let's get down to business. If I had to guess, I'd have to say…." Dick swung around until he was face-to-face with Veronica, "your prying boyfriend."

Veronica immediately thought of her boyfriend.  _Logan?_

"What a rich action star wants with six grand, I dunno, but it's your problem to prove motive, not mine," Dick challenged.

"Conner? Seriously? Why him?" Veronica asked.

 

 

 

> _Dick watched as Conner got up for the umpteenth time to go to the bathroom. "Dude, you need to keep your ass at the table," he called out._
> 
> _Conner just shrugged._
> 
> " _No, I'm serious. If it's not you pissing, it's you getting yourself more damn tea. We are not fucking ladies on a Sunday afternoon, asshole. Drink something good already!"_

 

"That's it? That's why you're accusing him? He pees a lot and drinks frou-frou tea? The tea's for cutting weight; he had a photoshoot this morning."

"I'm just calling it like I saw it. He was up more than he was sitting down. Like I said, it's your job to prove motive, so go do it." He made a sweeping motion with his hands at her and nodded to the door and then sat in front of her again. He picked up the controller but didn't turn on the game. She was still standing in the way. "And keep Weevil out from my zip code unless he's holding a skimmer or a leaf blower."

"I'd be happy to, if you keep Madison from drugging me and setting me up again." She refused to budge from in front of the TV or she'd lose him.

"Yeah, and you guys need to back off of her, too. I know Maddie can be a bitch, but she's right. Ever since you came here things have gone to shit."

"So you're saying it's my fault she's cheating on you? I guess if that's what it takes to help you sleep at night. I'm sure you're the model of monogamy," Veronica chided.

Veronica saw Dick take a big gulp and look down at the control in his hand. "It's none of your business. It's yet another example of you poking around where you don't belong. You need to keep your nose out of shit. Don't think I don't know this all comes around to you." Dick stood up and took a step toward her. He looked more distressed than menacing though. "You've got Madison all messed up in the head. You've got Logan hanging on your every word. You've got Lilly bringing damn bikers to my house. No more!" he declared, letting go of his controller with one hand to rub circular motions across into his left temple. Then he gestured around the pool house. "If Weevil had fucking stayed on his side of the tracks, this wouldn't be happening."

Dick was a mess. And mad…really mad. Madder than a multi-millionaire who lost a grand and a fancy egg should be. Madder than a teenage, philandering boy should be to find out his girlfriend had been cheating.  _Why do I get the feeling that this is about more of a mess than your tossed pool house?_  She hadn't really wanted to get into the mystery of Lilly and Dick, but he'd practically brought it up himself.  _In for a penny, in for a pound, Veronica,_ she told herself.

"You know that it wasn't me or Logan who were responsible for Weevil being here, Dick. You can play dumb all you want, but don't insult  _my_  intelligence. Lilly has something over you, something so big that you'd go over Madison's head and let Lilly have carte blanche over your Christmas poker tradition. That's what this is about. I want to know what it is."

"It has nothing to do with who took the money," Dick yelled. "Play Nancy Drew all you want, but you can take your psychoanalyzing bullshit somewhere else."

"If only it were that simple. You know what these 09er girls are like. They love secrets and can get desperate," Veronica prompted. "As Madison showed us."

"Says the one living in one of the biggest houses in the zip." Dick snorted but looked nervous.

Strangely, Veronica felt herself drawn to him. She saw something in him that she'd also seen in herself: real fear. "Nothing is as it seems on the surface, Dick. I think you need to tell someone what's going on. If not me, then Logan."

Dick scoffed so hard that he actually spit at her words. "Right…Logan!"

"Well, someone then. We both know that Lilly Kane having something over you can't be a good thing. You need help from someone who can actually do something, not hold it over your head." Veronica felt her heart rate increase, her pulse pounding in her ears like waves on the shore. She'd only told a few people her secret, and she didn't know how she would have managed if one of them had blackmailed her with it. "If you tell—"

"If I spill, I lose more than you know...I lose my family. Well, what little is left of it. It's easier to just do what she says." Dick whispered the last part.

"But you can't live that way forever, Dick. Someone could help you. I would help you!" she insisted. She stepped over to stand by his side.

"What, run to Daddy?" he accused.

"Hardly. He's the villain in my story." Veronica saw his eyes snap to hers. "If you told me, I wouldn't just brush it off. And I wouldn't hold it over you." They held their gaze for a moment. "I wouldn't even tell Logan if you didn't want me to. What does Lilly know, Dick?"

"She knows that my kid brother played Little League with Woody Goodman," he whispered. "And that's all I'm going to say." With that, he unpaused the game and began to play.

* * *

When Veronica arrived at Logan's house, Backup greeted her enthusiastically and led her back to Logan's room. She followed the dog slowly, still contemplating Dick's words. She'd decided during the drive that she would keep the information to herself for now. Even though he'd been cryptic, Veronica felt that it would be a betrayal of Dick's confidence to tell anyone, for now.

She smiled when she entered Logan's room. He and Wallace had already gotten to work; they had cleared a large section of bulletin board on one of Logan's walls and posted large sheets of paper up. One piece for each of their suspects. Mac was lounging on the bed watching.

"Geez, you guys. It's like we're back in the stone age. You know I can do all this digitally!" Mac nagged, rolling her eyes dramatically.

"As can we. But Wallace and I are more visual in our investigations." Logan smiled at them and moved toward Veronica once she crossed the threshold. "I know I like what  _I_ see," he whispered into her ear once he pulled her to him.

Veronica gave him a light kiss on the lips and then turned to his mystery boards, all seriousness. She grabbed a purple sharpie off of his desk and wrote "EXONERATED" across the paper that was labeled as Conner's. "Do you seriously suspect him?" she asked, astonished.

"Not really, no." Wallace spoke up and then took a bite of the granola bar in his hand. When he had finished chewing, he continued, "But we were also going to write what we learned from each of them across those pages, Little Miss Impatient."

Veronica cringed a bit. "Sorry; I overstepped."

"No problem." Logan gave her a hug from behind. "You just don't know our system yet." He turned to Wallace and threw him a green Sharpie. "Wallace you start filling in what we do know. Start with Weevil." Then he turned to Mac and indicated the laptop on his desk. "Mac, we got Duncan's laptop from Weevil. How long will it take to crack his password?"

"Well, he's a high school boy, so I'd say not very long. Let's hope he doesn't use any Kane software on it." She smiled as she booted it up. "Crap, it looks like Duncan had his daddy install Kane's encryption. This could take a little while."

"How long is a while?" Logan asked her.

"Hey, I'm good, but this is tough. It might take me all night."

"What do I do?" Veronica asked.

"You can tell us what you got out of Dick," he said encouragingly.

"Not much that will help us solve this case," she responded.  _At least that much is true._  "He implicated Conner because of his many bathroom runs. I guess Dick was never a wrestler." Logan shook his head. "I think we can rule Dick out, though. He tore the pool house apart looking for the money."

"Well, then you and I can start going over the Madison confession. We've got to make sure the audio works and see which camera got the best angle. If everything looks good, we can make a copy for my dad. If you're ready, that is." Logan looked at Veronica as if she were about to fall apart.

"No time like the present." She tried to sound enthusiastic.  _No one ever really_ wants _to relive these kind of moments, do they?_ "If we want to get this to your dad any time soon—"

"I was thinking...this afternoon soon." Logan reached out and smoothed her hair behind her ear. The action sent a shiver down her spine.

"Oh, you think you can hide behind that, do you? I'll show  _you,_  Kane Software," Mac taunted the computer in her lap. Veronica couldn't help but giggle. Mac was in the zone.

"This afternoon seems...ambitious, but if it works, I'm in," she agreed. "Then we could tell him about my Dylan Goran theory. Maybe he doesn't need to look into the stalker anymore."

"Oh yeah!" Logan had clearly forgotten her and Mac's other task for that morning. "What did you guys find out?"

"We were waiting to hear back from Tony. Maybe he's got an answer for us," Mac said, setting Duncan's laptop to the side. Veronica noticed that it now had a thumbdrive sticking out of it. "I can let this program run for a bit on its own," Mac said while she grabbed for her own laptop. After a few clicks, she turned the screen for everyone to see. "It's a good thing that crime's not rampant in San Juan Capistrano," Mac said. "Tony got back to me quickly."

"Tony came through again?" Veronica asked, snuggling into Logan further.

Mac smiled. "Let's see what Tony has to say about your pal, Dylan." She clicked open the email from SJCPD.

"Wow! Two restraining orders and a misdemeanor drug charge. Dylan has been a naughty boy!" Veronica bounced. "We've got him!"

"If he beat up Trina, it might be time for a third restraining order." Mac shook her head. "I'll never understand some women."

"It's hard to understand," Veronica agreed, hiding her face in Logan's shoulder, not wanting to let on how much she really did know on the subject.

"So, there you have it, folks; Dylan's alter ego is a psychopath with a tendency to beat up women," Mac said, handing her laptop off to Wallace and reaching for Duncan's again.

Logan frowned. "I don't like it. I don't like him having access to people close to you. It's not safe." At his comment, Veronica smiled. She leaned into him and felt his arms pull her in close. "It's definitely time to get my dad involved with Goran."

"Actually, Logan..." Veronica looked up at him and smirked. "I think in this instance, it's time to get  _my_  dad involved with Goran."

"Aaron? Why?" Logan's look was incredulous.

"Because he will be in town tomorrow." Veronica noticed his frown transform into a full-on scowl. "And if there's one thing he doesn't love, it's people manhandling his kids. I know, ironic, right?" She whispered the last.

"Well, we'll see what my dad has come up with. Maybe he came around to Goran on his own." Logan sounded hopeful.

"Of course, we'll see what the sheriff has come up with," she agreed.

Logan and Veronica settled into the seat at his desk, Veronica on his lap, and began looking over the footage. Wallace continued to put notes under each person's name on the bulletin board, asking questions as he needed to. Mac was still bent over Duncan's laptop, tapping away when the doorbell rang.

"Who could that be?" Logan asked, moving to slide Veronica off of his lap.

"Conner!" Veronica jumped up and raced through the house to throw open the front door. Before he could say a word, she was in his arms. "Missed you!"

Conner chuckled and squeezed her back. "You just saw me last night, babygirl."

"Yes, but it's been a long day." She sighed, letting go of him just enough to grab him by the hand. She led him into Logan's bedroom.

"Hey, man." Logan got up from the desk and gave Conner a smile. "Come on in. I'm glad you could come back down tonight."

Backup even got up from his space by Mac's feet and wagged his tail.

Wallace turned briefly to give their friend a nod. Mac hugged Conner and scooted over to give him a spot on the bed before she picked up the laptop again and continued working.

"Oh, you have a dog! That's great." Conner sat down on the bed and gave the dog a good rubdown. "No wonder Veronica loves you. He's a big fellow, but he sure beats Lynn's alpaca!"

Veronica laughed at Conner's excitement on her behalf. "You're just in time; we're copying the Madison tapes." Veronica smiled at him and sat back down on Logan's lap. "You can help Wallace fill in the blanks on the suspect wall while we finish."

"Sure—Wait, I'm on the suspect wall? You wound me!" he said dramatically.

"It's just a 'person of interest' wall," Wallace corrected them.

"You know this reminds me of the time when I was playing the metrosexual undercover agent in 'Lonely Season'," Conner began.

"Was that the one where you got bit by the chihuahua?" Wallace asked, grinning.

"No," Mac piped up. "It was the one where he made out with Selma Blair." She made a face.

"Don't cry, now, Mac," Logan teased.

"Why would I cry? I made out with him earlier this week!" she replied nonchalantly, as if kissing an A-list action star was an everyday occurrence for her.

"Selma's got nothing on you, beautiful." At that, Mac looked up at Conner and grinned and then went back to work.

Conner got up then, grabbed a Sharpie for himself and began working with Wallace.

"I think we've got what we need here, Veronica. You guys keep at it, I'm going to call my dad and ask when's a good time to stop by." Logan slid out from under her and placed a lingering kiss on her lips. Then, he grabbed his phone and a tennis ball and headed out of the room. Backup, clearly used to this routine, scrambled to get out of the room ahead of him.

Veronica heard the door to the backyard shut and then saw Backup scampering across the yard after the ball. She watched for a moment and then turned back to see what Wallace and Conner had come up with. "No, Conner. You can't use orange for Lilly; they have a system," she chastised as if she had been doing this for years.

"She's right, you know. It defeats the purpose of convenient color-coding," Wallace tsked.

They played with the bulletin board a while longer until Logan came back, looking grim.

"What's the matter?" Veronica asked him, causing all the heads in the room to turn his way.

"Nothing," he answered a little too quickly. She opened her mouth to call bullshit, but he silenced her by putting his hand out. "Dad has time for us now, but he also had a...condition."

"How bad can it be?" Veronica inquired, suddenly nervous. Surely nothing could be worse than facing Aaron Echolls.

"He's off tonight and he...um, wants us to have dinner with him. Here. The three of us." Logan's tone made it sound like a death sentence.

"Is that all? No problem. I do parents really well. I mean, I know that at first he thought I was an ID-selling felon, but he came around," she said cheerily. "Right?"

"Yeah, yeah. I think so." Logan sounded grim.

"And after we explain about Madison…" Veronica let her words trail off, wondering why Logan looked so worried.

"Well, he knows we had sex—" Logan began.

"What?" Veronica gasped.

Wallace snickered.

"You had sex?" Mac sputtered. "Am I the only one who didn't know that?"

"Yes!" Conner and Wallace said in unison just as Veronica said, "Apparently."

Veronica shook her head, but then calmed down when Logan buried his face in his hands.

"It just kind of came out. I'm not good at secrets when it comes to him. And he got all interrogat-y with me," Logan moaned from behind his hands, clearly embarrassed.

"Well, what's done is done." Veronica sighed.  _Not that I wouldn't love my sex life to not be shared with my boyfriend's father before I even get to know him._  "It's okay, Logan. Though I would have appreciated you letting me know a little sooner."

He nodded, his eyes still covered. She slid her arms around his middle and held him close until he returned the gesture.

"So, if you two are busy tonight, where does that leave me?" Conner asked. "I mean, let's talk about what's really important, here. Me!" he remarked unabashedly.

Veronica knew he was teasing. "Wallace?" she asked.

"Don't look at me. My mom's been all over my case about not spending time with her at all lately. She's taking me and Darrell out to minigolf," he stated.

Veronica's eyes shifted over to Mac. "Hey, Lar-kin. Mac's family of Conner-worshipers just happens to be playing Catan tonight…" she trailed off enticingly.

"What!?" Conner spun around so fast that his Sharpie fell to the floor. "Catan! Do you have the six-player expansion pack?"

Mac looked up at him and beamed. "Of course. This is the Mackenzies we're talking about here. We have a custom board for it, too. And a hand-made wooden box for all the pieces."

"Can I come, Mac? Please!" he pleaded. "I'll be whatever shitty color your family doesn't like, but white is my lucky color. Can we play Traders and Barbarians?"

Mac sighed as if it was all a great burden. "Yes, yes, and you can be white," she promised him.

"Yes!" Conner pumped his fists in the air victoriously. "V won't play with me anymore. No one will play with me anymore." He pretended to pout.

"No! You're insane about it," Veronica defended.

"Well, you kids can figure all of that out, but Veronica and I need to take this to my dad. Wish us luck," Logan said, shifting Veronica off his lap.

The group gave them somewhat bleak looks, not improving Veronica's confidence, but she'd dealt with worse. She'd find a way to win over Keith Mars.

* * *

Logan weaved the thumbdrive through his fingers as he and Veronica walked up to the station door. He reached for the door, but Veronica's hand on his arm stopped him.

"This is going to be okay. I mean your dad doesn't hate me, right?" Veronica asked, her hand still on Logan's arm.

"Hate you? No, he doesn't hate you. He's upset I lied to him, and he doesn't understand our relationship. He's worried you're using me. I tried to explain, but, without telling him more, I don't think he's going to be able to understand where we're both coming from," Logan sighed, reaching for the door once again.

"We can't tell him, Logan. My dad…"

"I know, Veronica. It's just hard for me. And then to hear Trina this morning. I just—no one should ever feel that out of control of their own life." Logan tried to pull his face into a smile but knew he fell short. "Now let's get this over with. I want to spend some time with you without any of this other stuff hanging over our heads."

"That's the best offer I've gotten all day, Mars. Lead the way."

Logan pulled the door open and guided Veronica through with his other hand on the small of her back. They walked silently back to his dad's office, the awkwardness and tension building with every step. Logan stopped in front of the door. "You ready for this?"

"Nope," Veronica answered matter-of-factly and knocked on the door.

"Come in," Keith called from inside. Logan took a deep breath and followed right behind Veronica as she stepped into the office.

"Sheriff. Thank you for making time for this. I know you're really busy," Veronica said. Logan immediately recognized the tone and expression; she was acting.

Logan shut the door behind them and took her hand, drawing her attention to him and subtly shook his head. Her drawn eyebrows suggested that she didn't know what he was trying to warn her about, but she'd find out soon enough. "Yeah, thanks, Dad. You get to see it hot off the presses. The fruits of last night's labor. The—"

"I'm not in the mood for banter, and if I want to see acting, I'll put on a movie." Keith indicated the two chairs in front of Logan and Veronica, so Logan took a seat and hoped things started getting better fast.

Logan held out the thumb drive. "You already know what we were trying to do last night, and here it is."

"All right. I'm going to watch this. You've explained to Veronica that this won't be admissible in any court?" Keith asked.

"He did. I actually prefer it that way. If this went to court, I would end up in all the tabloids. I know you don't really know me yet, Mr. Mars, but I have no desire to be any more in the public eye than I already am."

Keith nodded with a grim smile,  _better than some of his other expressions_ , Logan decided and reached for Veronica's hand. He massaged her knuckles while his father watched the video they'd put together. By the end, Keith was smiling.

"Well, kids, I didn't think you'd pull this one off but, by God, she gave you a full Bond-villain confession, didn't she?" Keith whistled. "Veronica, maybe you could give Logan and I a couple of minutes. I'm sure Inga would be happy to take you to get a soda."

Logan turned to Veronica to make sure that was okay; she smiled and nodded before leaving the room.

"Kid, we got him. I don't think I can press any charges unless Vinnie comes up with something else, but I can fire the idiot and use this to help prevent him from filing a lawsuit for wrongful termination."

Logan was pleased to see his dad so happy but sensed a 'but' coming. "That's great, but…"

"Yes, there is a but. But, I don't see anything I can do about Madison, which really disturbs me. The IDs are disconcerting, but drugging Veronica," Keith shook his head. "That's very serious. The things that could have happened. And how willing she was to consider that her plan would have been better had she drugged you as well. I can't press charges. I can't  _do_ anything, legally." Keith rubbed his bald head.

"We were thinking about sending it out to the school email list—"

"No, Logan, you can't be involved in something like that. It could be considered harassment or bullying; you could get suspended or expelled. No, I think we need to handle this more quietly." Keith continued to rub his palm across his forehead. "I know her parents. Nice people...they donate to the sheriff's ball every year. Do you think they would be upset to find out their daughter was behaving like this?"

"I don't really know them. They're…" Logan let his words trail off,  _they're Mac's real parents…_  "I guess it's worth a try."

"I think she might need help of the professional variety. That is not normal behavior." Keith nodded and pulled out a file, the edge of a picture showed Madison in Lamb's squad car. "I'll talk to them tomorrow after I've dealt with Lamb."

"Can I go get Veronica? There's one more thing we wanted to tell you about," Logan said.

"Oh God, Logan. Do I even want to know?" Keith sighed, sounding tired.

"It's about the stalker...or whomever left that creepy letter in her house. We found out about a person you should check out," Logan explained confidently, knowing—hoping—this wouldn't upset his father.

"Okay, go get her." Keith started shuffling files and pulled the thumbdrive out of the computer as Logan walked out of the office.

"Do you think your mama would like a puppy? I still have Trixie's last," Logan heard Inga chattering.

"Oh, my mom prefers animals with hooves actually," Veronica laughed.

"Hooves?" Logan asked, coming around the corner to the main desk.

"Alpacas," Veronica replied, offering no further response.

"But alpacas don't have...you know what, never mind."  _Were there alpacas at the Echolls estate and I just didn't see them_? Logan made a note to ask next time he was at Veronica's house. "My dad is ready for you to come back," Logan said, not wanting to encourage further discussion with Inga.

"Okay. Thanks for showing me all the pictures, Inga. It's a very cute puppy."

Logan quickly led them back to his dad's office and they relayed the information they had gathered about Dylan Goran.

"Goran, huh. Not a name that's come up, but I'll get a more detailed background check on him. D'Amato did find a um...woman—"

"It's okay, Sheriff. I'm perfectly aware of the kind of man my father is," Veronica said, her voice hard as steel. Logan really admired her ability to be both the soft and caring person she was when it was just the two of them, but also no nonsense and pragmatic.

"Logan, roll up your tongue. Okay, Veronica, yes, I'm fairly certain the person who left the note was a former mistress; one who perhaps is unhappy with the 'former' designation. We got her name from a print she left on the envelope, but we haven't been able to track her down yet. I called your mom about it earlier and she seemed unperturbed." Keith shrugged.

"Yeah, my mom is more of a 'deny and make it shiny' kind of woman."

"Be that as it may, you should be careful. We still don't know how she got into your house. But, with all the staff coming and going, it is highly probable that she could get in again. Logan, I would prefer if you didn't spend time at the Echolls estate until this is wrapped up." Logan nodded grimly. "And Veronica," Keith sighed heavily, "you shouldn't be alone there either. You are welcome in our home and Alicia's. Wallace told her about the stalker getting into the house while you were home alone and she is very upset about it."

"Wow, um...thank you. I appreciate that," Veronica said, clearly surprised.

"Thanks, Dad."

"Don't thank me yet. We have a dinner tonight, yes?" Logan and Veronica both nodded. "Okay, we have things to discuss, but I'm out of time now. You're not a freakball vege—vegan like Mac are you?"

"Nope, though I'll eat her rabbit food." Veronica laughed.

"Good, then I'll grab steaks; you can see how the Mars men live."

"I'm looking forward to it."

"Okay, let's get out of here before he starts talking about the pros and cons of a charcoal grill versus gas," Logan teased, pulling Veronica out of her chair.

"Simple list, Son. Always charcoal," Keith called as Logan hurried to escape what could only devolve into a conversation where his dad would either decide that he really liked Veronica or hated her.

Logan didn't stop until he had Veronica to the Xterra, where he pulled her around to the side facing a wall where no one would be able to see them. He gripped her waist, pressed her against the side of the car and kissed her until he had to stop to breathe.

"What was that for?" Veronica panted. "Not that I'm complaining. In fact, quite the opposite."

"I don't know. I'm both terrified and excited about dinner tonight. And I just needed to. I have all this pent up...energy," Logan admitted, jumping in place a little.

"Is that so? Well I'll tell you what, we've got almost two hours before we meet your dad for dinner. Maybe I can help you release some of that energy."

"Are you propositioning me?" Logan said, faux scandalized.

"Why, good sir, I think I am," Veronica drawled with a wink and walked around to the passenger's side of the car. Logan was completely mesmerized by the extra sway she put in her hips.

Logan groaned a little, pulled himself together and got in the car. He immediately leaned across the center console and kissed Veronica, teeth and tongue, her hand gripping his head pulling him closer; then she abruptly pushed him away.

"Logan if you don't want me to crawl across this car and do you right here in the Balboa County Sheriff's parking lot, you need to turn this car on and get us somewhere more private."

Logan smiled. "So bossy."

"You love it."

"I love you."

* * *

At five minutes to five, Mac took Conner by the hand and led him out the Mars' front door. He'd been driving her crazy for the past hour, trying to get her to hurry but also stall in an attempt to mess with Logan and Veronica.

"Aren't we going to be late now?" he asked her. "I feel too empty-handed." Mac sighed dramatically at his words. "What? My mother always said I should never go over to someone's house for dinner empty-handed. Can we pick up flowers for your mom on the way? Does your dad drink beer?"

"Considering that we're  _both_  underage, I don't think my parents would quite appreciate the notion as much as you think they would." She laughed.

"I was just going to take some from Logan's dad's fridge." He shrugged. "That's your car right there, right? I parked just in front of it." Mac laughed at the sight of her Beetle next to his vintage Maserati. It was unlike anything her neighborhood had ever seen. "Do you want to take yours or mine? How long till we get there?"

"Not long at all," she said, pulling him across the lawn that was attached to her own. When they made it to the walkway to her front door, she waved her arms dramatically and then held them up like Vanna White. "Voilà," she said excitedly, "we're here!"

"I didn't know you lived next door to Logan."

"Yeah, since we were little," she told him as she made her way to the porch.

Conner looked impressed. "Ha! No wonder you've been best friends forever. I always fantasized about living next door to my best friend when I was little. Late night conversations. Secret flashlight languages..."

"Logan's room doesn't face mine, but we did have a loose board in the fence, so he could climb into my window from the backyard."

"Nice!" he said approvingly, then he stopped short. "I really wish you'd called them to tell them I'm coming. What if there isn't enough?"

"There will be; my mom cooks enough for an army. Plus, I'm sure any of them would willingly go hungry so that  _Conner Larkin_  could eat his fill." She gasped as she said his name.

Mac pulled the front door open and called out, "I'm home!" and then reached out to pull Conner across the threshold behind her.

"Hey, honey," Mac heard her Mom's voice call out, presumably from the kitchen. "We're all in here."

Mac paused, taking a deep breath before walking farther into the house.  _This is the moment when you become your family's heroine, Mac_.  _Enjoy it!_  She walked into the family room, which was a large open space next to the kitchen. Her mom was bent over the stove and her dad was watching basketball on TV next to Ryan, facing away from her.

"Cindy!" her dad spoke up, "Did you see that fancy car parked in front of our house? The Donahues already came over to ask if we'd won the lottery. I told Ron and Nancy that—"

"No fucking way!" Ryan turned around and burst out, making Mac beam.

"Language, Ryan!" Natalie gasped as Sam turned to follow Ryan's gaze.

"Holy shit!" he jumped a bit as he blurted out the expletive.

"What is going on you two? Ryan—" Natalie was startled into silence.

_Well at least one of them didn't cuss at my guest._  "Mom, Dad...this is Conner."

Natalie stayed rooted to the spot in the kitchen, and Ryan was still frozen in place as well. It was Sam who recovered the fastest. "Conner Larkin! I guess that's your car parked in the front yard!"

"It is, sir. But if the Donahues come over, I promise to categorically deny it," he joked, stepping forward to shake her dad's hand.

"Screw it, if the Donahues are out front later, we're all running out front to throw the football around," he insisted. After a moment's pause he stepped forward and put his hand out to Conner. "It's nice to meet you in person. Are you staying for dinner?"

"Yeah!" Mac said, smiling up at Conner. "He was in town and is apparently a Catan fanatic. When he heard about our big plans for Mackenzie family night, he asked to join us."

"If that's okay with you, Mrs. Mackenzie," Conner added quickly.

"Of course it is, Conner. And p-please call me Natalie," she stammered. "I'm afraid it's nothing fancy. Just chili and cornbread. Are you a normal eater or one of those freakball vegans, like Cindy?

"Chili sounds great, with or without meat," Conner responded. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Kissass," Mac mumbled under her breath, and Conner reached out to playfully pinch her arm.

"Oh, no thank you, dear. Wow, no one else has offered to lift a finger," Natalie blushed. "Ryan was just about to set the table. Right, Ryan?"

Sam reached out to poke Ryan out of his Larkin-induced trance. Ryan nodded, his eyes still on Conner and began walking to the dining room.

"I'll help you, big guy," Conner said, following Ryan out of the room, winking over his shoulder at Mac as he went.

When Conner was out of earshot, Mac's parents practically jumped on her.

"What the—Conner Larkin in my living room!" Sam sputtered.

"How did this happen—you could have called to warn us!" Natalie said at the same time.

"And miss this classic reaction?" Mac reached out and grabbed a baby carrot off of the cutting board on the counter and snapped off a bite. "No way!"

* * *

"I thought—" kiss "—they'd never—" kiss "—leave!" Veronica panted out between kisses and pulled off Logan's shirt.

"I think they did it on purpose. Conner kept smirking at us," Logan said, reaching for Veronica's belt and tugging it firmly until she was in his arms. "Dad won't be home for about forty-five minutes. Can I interest you in a quickie?"

"I'm so wound up, Mars that I'll take whatever I can get." She winked at him and reached for his belt. Logan spun them around and kissed Veronica as he lifted her up into his arms, continuing to spin them down the hall toward his bedroom shedding clothes as they went.

Logan dropped Veronica onto his bed and watched her bounce, giggling. "You are so beautiful." He swallowed, taking in the sight of her: mussed hair, lacy black bra, unbuttoned jeans, and sly smile.

"Logan, come here. I've been thinking about being with you since we got back Monday night. Don't keep me waiting," she said, unhooking her bra and tossing it at him.

"I'd hate to upset my lady," Logan drawled and quickly kicked off his jeans the rest of the way and then his boxers. Veronica had moved to sit at the edge of the bed and was watching him with a look Logan could only describe as hunger. "Veronica?" He leaned forward to help pull her jeans off completely, but she pushed his chest up with one hand and with the other gripped his hip and pulled him closer to her. One second she was looking at him with wild eyes and the next Logan was seeing stars as her hot mouth closed around him. "Oh God," he moaned, holding every muscle in his body rigid as her tongue swirled around him.

Logan held himself in check, knowing this was her first time doing this, but it took everything he had. He clenched his eyes shut, not wanting to have to ask her to stop but knowing that if he continued staring into her eyes he was a goner. When even that wasn't enough, Logan gently pushed her back.

She looked up at him apprehensively, "Did I do some—"

Logan cut her off with his lips, kissing her deeply. "No, you're perfect," he said finally ending the kiss and pulling back to remove the last of her clothes. "I love you so much, Veronica."

She beamed up at him, "I love you, too, but you'd better hurry or your dad's going to get home."

Logan pressed a last quick kiss to her lips then quirked an eyebrow. "Let's not talk about him right now." The next thing he knew, Veronica had him pinned to the bed, a condom in place, and was easing down on to him.  _I am the luckiest man alive,_ he thought as he watched her bounce and moan whenever he met her downward stroke with a thrust. It reminded him of the first...well, second time they'd been together, and he couldn't remember ever being happier.

Veronica's skin felt fire-hot, and Logan found himself desperately focusing on a bead of sweat that was slicking its way between her breasts when he felt her clamp down on him. Her tight little body was shaking and tensing. Logan sat up and pulled her tight against his chest as she rode out her orgasm and let himself go.

An interminable amount of time later, Logan, completely sated, dropped his head onto the pillow and blew out a breath. "Well, that's one way to work up an appetite."

"Ha! I did all the work," she teased, snuggling into his side. "I'm just glad Mac's family was starting dinner a little earlier than we are. I'm not going to lie, I was doing okay about this for a while, but the closer it gets to your dad's arrival, the more nervous I'm getting. He doesn't like me."

"He doesn't know you. You're just gotten off to a bit of a rough start, but it's going to be okay." Logan ran his fingers lightly along the knobs of her spine, trying to offer comfort and reassurance as he heard Backup give an excited yip from the living room and the sound of the door unlocking. "Fuck!"

"Oh my God! Is that your dad? Our clothes are like a smutty breadcrumb trail…" Veronica groaned in obvious dismay.

"It's okay. You stay here, and I'll go get our shirts, ugh...and belts. Just wait for me, okay?"

Veronica nodded sadly, "He's never going to like me. I'm just going to be some slut corrupting his son."

Logan saw a few tears gathering in her eyes. "No, Veronica. It'll be fine. I promise." Logan wasn't sure he could promise his dad would get over this easily, but he'd do anything for Veronica and smoothing over this snafu was now his top priority.

Logan pulled on his jeans and a clean shirt and stepped out into the hall. He hoped that his dad had headed straight for the kitchen and hadn't noticed the discarded clothes, but when he reached the end of the hall, he saw Keith picking up Veronica's belt with a look Logan couldn't read.

Keith didn't say a word, he simply held out the belt. Logan saw the exact moment that Keith saw both t-shirts on the floor; his face went from unreadable to disgusted. He grunted and walked away.

Logan scooped up the shirts and his own belt, which somehow was on the couch, and headed back to his bedroom. Veronica's face was pale and there were a few tear streaks on her cheeks.

"He didn't yell; is that good or bad?" she asked, her voice small.

Logan swallowed. "Um...I think bad. He didn't say a word." He handed Veronica her shirt and waited for her to pull it on and then tucked her into his side. "It's going to be okay." He stepped back, "No calling you Bobcat."

"No talk of your milky thighs," Veronica smirked, some of her humor regained.

Logan huffed a laugh. "Exactly. Let's get this over with." He held out his hand for her, and when she placed her hand in his, Logan felt a sense of completeness settle over him.  _We've got this..._

Thirty minutes later, Logan wasn't so sure. They'd eaten their steaks, which were delicious and Veronica had tried everything but standing on her head to engage his father in some kind of meaningful conversation.

"How do you like Neptune, Veronica?" Keith finally responded to one of Veronica's attempts.

"I'm not hating it. I guess it's gotten off to a rocky start, but I like my classes at school after Wallace fixed my schedule," Veronica answered with a smile.

"Wallace did what?" Keith asked sounding agitated, causing Veronica to shrink into her seat.

"Where is this going?" Logan asked his dad.

"I'm hoping to find out what Wallace did," Keith said through clenched teeth.

Logan felt a small hand on his forearm. "It's fine. They had me in classes I'd already taken; my dad is a little behind on my academic achievements," she said with a snort. Logan immediately knew his father had misinterpreted her comment. "So Wallace was kind enough to help me get swapped into more appropriate classes."

Keith scoffed and chased a stray pea around the edge of his plate. Logan sighed unhappily.  _What was I thinking agreeing to this?_

"So, Sheriff, do you play golf?" Veronica asked.

"What's the appeal?" Keith asked, somewhat harshly.

"Don't answer that." Logan dropped his face into his open palm. "Veronica, could you give my dad and I a minute?"

"Oh, um...sure, I'll be in the yard with Backup." She stood and started to walk away.

Logan reached for her hand and tugged her back to him lightly as he stood and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll come get you in just a few." She nodded and walked away.

Once the door had shut, Logan turned to his father with a scowl. "Is it completely necessary for you to make her feel worse than she already does?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Keith said, getting up from the table with the empty plates.

"You have  _no_  idea. Do you think she wanted to start our evening with you realizing we'd just had sex? If you're going to act like an ass to someone, make it me not her."

"I just don't like how you've been acting. Lying. Sneaking around. And you still haven't explained who Conner is to her. I—"

"I haven't been lying or sneaking around any more than usual, well, the LA trip aside. But really I didn't mean to lie about that—I just got so caught up in what was going on." Logan sighed. Nothing about tonight was going the way he'd wanted. "Can we please start over? I really want you to like her, and  _she_  really wants you to like her. Look, did you know she likes to write? She's in all the same honors and AP classes as I am. You're not even giving her a chance." Logan slammed his fist onto the counter in frustration.

Keith turned from the sink where he'd been rinsing dishes. "You're right. I haven't given her a chance. But, Logan—"

"No buts. You two were starting to hit if off earlier at the station. You're just mad because we're acting like dumb teenagers. Please don't blame her for my inability to keep my hands off her."

Keith actually laughed, full on, gripping the counter to hold himself up. "You might be onto something, Son. Alicia said something very similar to me earlier. Okay, go get her. We still have dessert and I will try to stop acting like an old dad who doesn't remember what it's like to be in love for the first time."

"Thank you, Dad. You won't regret it. I swear Veronica really is the best."

* * *

Conner placed his and Mac's dinner dishes directly into the dishwasher.

"Thanks, Mrs. Mackenzie. Dinner was fantastic!" he praised.

She beamed at his compliment. "I made a pumpkin pie. Did you save room?"

"Oh, I can't. I wish I could, but not until I'm done filming the movie. But it's so nice to have a family dinner. My parents still live back in Topeka. My mom tries to get out to California sometimes, but...well it's not often."

"Are you alone for the holidays then?" Natalie asked as he took the dishes from her hand and added them to the rest.

"I'll spend them with Veronica. Her parents usually take off to Vail or something after their Christmas Eve party, so Veronica and I will spend the day together and then I'll probably have to head back to LA. I don't shoot until after the new year, but I've got some media stuff," he lamented.

"Well, you're always welcome here," she said as she began to cut the pie and place it on plates.

"Too bad you weren't here last month or you could have been on the Christmas card!" he heard Mac snark from the dining room.

"I'll get my publicist started on photoshopping me in as soon as possible." He winked at her mom. Then he yelled back to Mac, "You'd better be setting up the board!"

Conner took three plates from Natalie and balanced them carefully as he walked them into the dining room and set them on the table.

"I'm setting up the board. It's not often that we have company, so I had to find the expansion. And you'd better be nice to me, I'm usually white and, for you, I'm stuck with….purple, I guess."

"It matches your hair at least!" he moved around to kiss her on the head and sat down next to her. He didn't miss her blush or the odd look the family gave him. He realized that they weren't used to his random shows of affection, which surprised him considering they knew Logan.

"So, are you two...dating?" Sam asked, sitting down across from them. "I thought you and that Echolls girl were—"

Conner laughed out loud at that. "Oh no, of course not, Veronica and I are just good friends. And Mac, too," he added hastily. "I'm gay," he stated like it was no big deal.

He heard Sam sputter a little as he nearly choked on his coffee.

"He's what?" Ryan asked, "Please tell me he just said something about needing to pray," he said desperately.

"Well  _that_  was subtle, Conner. I thought it was a secret," Mac said, reaching across to pat her coughing father on his back.

"My close friends know. I don't mind." He looked up at Sam, suddenly worried that he'd ruined everything. "I'm sorry, I didn't know I'd freak you guys out. Now that I think about it, I do remember Mac warning me that—"

Natalie smacked her husband upside the head and spoke up, "Of course not, dear. It's just...unexpected. Right, Sam?"

Conner watched as Ryan left the table.

"No, no problem." Sam wiped his watering eyes. "You're just...such…"

"A man's man? Yeah, I know. Look, if this is—" Conner's words were cut off by Ryan running in from the other room.

"The Donahues are out! They're right there!" He held up a football.

"I was just kidding, Ryan," Sam said sheepishly, leaning over to ruffle his son's hair.

"Come  _on_! They're always so perfect. But  _we_  know Conner Larkin!" Ryan whined.

Conner popped up from the table and grabbed the ball from Ryan. "Perfect, you say? Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"But...Catan," Mac sputtered. "You've been bugging me about it all afternoon."

"What's Catan when you can show up your busybody neighbors?" Conner countered as he and Ryan ran to the front door.

"You're right!" Sam said, taking off after them.

Conner heard Mac yell, "Don't let them convince you to take off your shirt; it's cold out there," as she chased after the group.

Conner let Ryan tackle him when they reached the front yard, and he caught the boy mid air and swung him around before tossing the football to Mac but Sam intercepted.

Conner laughed when Sam pretended to just notice the neighbors. "Ron...Nancy! I didn't see you there," he said casually. "Ryan's been begging Conner to come outside all evening."

Conner smiled and waved at the neighbors as he tucked Mac under his other arm and still managed to catch the ball.

"Thank you! You've made the entire family's year," Mac said so that only he could hear her.

"You can pay me back by putting me on next year's Christmas card!" He laughed and released her so he could flip Ryan onto his back and run in for a pretend touchdown. When he looked up he saw Logan looking at him from the window of the Mars house and he gave him an enthusiastic grin and one arm wave as he flew around the lawn with Ryan on his back cheering victoriously.

* * *

"So, how was dinner?" Conner asked her as soon as he pulled the Maserati away from the curb on Colony Place.

"It was kind of a disaster," she admitted.

"No way!" He grabbed her hand and pulled it across the center console until it rested on his right leg.

"It was fine, I guess. Just...awkward. Logan was tense which made  _me_  tense, and the sheriff kept looking at me like he knew I'd just had sex with his son—which was true, by the way. After you and Mac left, we...by the time he came home we'd...finished, but there was a trail of clothes leading to his room." She pulled her hand away from him and hid her face in shame.

"No way!" Conner repeated.

"Could you stop saying that? You're making me feel worse!" she moaned.

"Sorry! I should have stayed. You just usually do  _parent_  so well," Conner said.

"I know!" she cried desperately, looking heavenward. "Somehow  _Keith Mars_  is the only person in the world who is immune to my charm!"

"Wow, that sucks. Your first  _real_  boyfriend and his dad doesn't like you," Conner sighed.

"Keep digging a little more, why don't you?" she chided sarcastically. "And I take it the Mackenzies are ready to adopt you!" She scowled.

"There  _was_ talk of holiday cards and general merriment," he teased a little.

"And now Aaron is coming down. Ugh, I  _knew_  things were going too well for a while there. Why does the universe give me a respite at all if it's all going to go to hell again?" she groaned.

"It'll get better again. I have no doubt that you'll win the sheriff over in the end." Conner grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. "I'll stay with you till Aaron leaves; the party will keep him distracted. And, don't forget, we're playing the Trina card. Distractions all around. Now do you feel better?" he asked.

"Actually I do, a little," she responded, sniffling.

"If it weren't for me, you'd be home, celebrating with your family...I'm so sorry, Conner," she lamented. "I know you stayed here for me."

"If you haven't figured it out yet, then there's no point in explaining it. But because I love you, I'll say it, yet again. You, babygirl, are worth it." He brought her fingers up to his lips.

Veronica leaned into his shoulder and settled in for the rest of the drive. "I love you, too."

* * *

Logan stood watching as Conner drove away until the red tail lights flashed as the car disappeared around a corner. He sighed sadly and jumped at the arm that wrapped around his waist.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Mac said softly, resting her head on his arm. "You don't look happy; did it not go well?"

"I'm pretty sure it couldn't have gone worse," Logan answered, realizing how melodramatic he sounded.

"Oh, come on, Logan, it couldn't have been that bad. Veronica's great—"

"Dad came home while we were still in my bed; our clothes were still in the living room...saying he was unhappy about it is the biggest understatement of the year. He then spent pretty much the whole dinner being borderline, if not outright, rude to Veronica." Logan collapsed onto the cool grass of the shared yard space between their houses.

Mac carefully sat next to him, "That's not like your dad. I mean, sure the situation was awkward, but—"

"I know, right? I just don't get it. So I had Veronica take Backup to the yard and I gave Dad a hard time about how he was acting. He was a little better during dessert but never really warmed up to her. He just kept asking things about Aaron and Conner. And it's not that Veronica isn't willing to talk about Conner, but Aaron...she doesn't like talking about him. But enough of my bad dinner story...how was yours? I saw you all out throwing a football and looking like the perfect American family," Logan teased, trying to sound more light-hearted.

"Right! The Donahues were out staring at Conner's car and we thought we'd rub it in their faces that we know  _Conner Larkin_." Mac laughed. "Of course, right before that Conner blurted out that he's gay and almost made my dad choke on his pie."

Logan fell back on the grass and let himself laugh at the absurdity of the whole situation. When he'd run out of breath to laugh any more, he rolled to look up at Mac. "Is he ever going to give Veronica a chance? I'm in love with her, Mac."

"Your dad will come around, Logan. Let's get Alicia to work on him, too."

Logan nodded and moved to put his head in Mac's lap. "I guess she told him he was acting like a grumpy old man."

"Well, there you go. Veronica's parents will be out of town for most of the rest of the winter break. We'll have plenty of time to start Operation Win-over-the-sheriff. I bet we can get my parents to help, too; they both like Veronica."

"Thanks, Mac. I'm afraid we're going to need all the help we can get."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Wow, so that was a really long chapter! We hope you enjoyed it. So here are a few little fun tidbits for you. So the line where Veronica says, "The telepathy is strong with us." This sprang out of all the texting conversations we had were we would end up writing the same idea at the same time - seriously this happened all the time! As a quick note incase you were wondering about Ryan (Mac's little brother) we decided to age him up think of him as 12 not 5/6. 
> 
> And then one last little story. We deliberated for days about how/who/why Logan lost his virginity. It had to be so many things...meaningful and yet not...and we felt so much pressure (should it be a character we know or not?) and after a few days of whining about it to each other (and apparently to Bond's husband also) he walked in to us texting and said "Are we still debating this? Get over it already - he lost it to some girl at camp named Stephanie - she was older and had big boobs" and we just went with it. She will not be a character in the story beyond that ;)


	10. On the tenth day of Christmas, creepy sociopaths gave to me...ten restraining orders and Conner a date with the cute deputy

**Chapter 10: On the tenth day of Christmas, creepy sociopaths gave to me...ten restraining orders and Conner a date with the cute deputy**

* * *

**Thursday, December 23rd**

Veronica woke up in the pool house curled up next to Conner. It wasn't as nice as if it had been Logan, but Conner was like a security blanket; just his presence gave her a great deal of comfort. She heard her phone ding and she reached over to pull it off of the nightstand.

Two texts...The first was a picture of Logan holding up a drink carrier full of coffees from Java the Hut. The second was from her mother.

 **Mom:** 'Aaron just arrived. Bring Conner up to the house. Sheriff on his way.'

Veronica groaned and poked Conner. "Action hero boyfriend! Time to get up. Our favorite sheriff's son is on his way with caffeine, and my dad is here."

Conner threw a hand across his eyes. "Don't wanna. Exhausted from family time with the Mackenzies. And eating like a real human for the first time in like two months. Cornbread and chili, Veronica. Cornbread and chili," he said blissfully. "And it had those Hatch chilis, and Natalie made this like lime sour cream. Dairy Veronica! Dairy!"

"Man up, and keep your food fetish to yourself, Conner. Besides, there's no way am I facing Aaron without you...especially with Logan and his dad on their way over. What if I mess up about the Piz stuff? Actually, have you spoken to him since that night?"

Conner sat up slowly. "Yeah, I saw him just before the Vanity Fair shoot. He sends his apologies again, and swears he was very convincing with Aaron. Whatever that means." Conner stretched and then dropped dramatically back onto the bed.

"Well, sleepy-head. As much as I want to hide out here all day, we've got things to do."

* * *

Logan followed his dad into the Echolls' large great room. _Or maybe ballroom?_  Logan wondered. He hadn't really been in this part of the house before. There were people everywhere hanging up garland and decorating large fake trees.

"Mrs. Echolls," Keith called while Logan continued to look around for Veronica and Conner.

"Oh, Sheriff, no need for such formality; Lynn is just fine. What do you think? Doesn't it just look like a winter wonderland in here?" she asked cheerfully.

"It does indeed, Lynn. Is Aaron home? I really wanted to share what we've learned with you both," Keith pushed, and then turned a slightly disapproving look at Logan.  

_Right, time for me to make my exit._

Logan turned to head towards the back of the house as he heard ' _Deck the halls with boughs of holly / fa la la la._ '

"Sheriff! Lynn didn't get you over here about that letter, did she? I get letters like that all the time." Logan watched as Aaron Echolls—action movie hero, two time Academy Award winner, child abuser—schmoozed with his dad; he really hoped his dad didn't buy it. Logan knew that he should go find Veronica, but standing just twenty feet away from her abuser was setting off sparks of anger alternating with disgust at the fact that there was nothing he could do that wouldn't hurt Veronica's trust in him.

Just as he was regaining control of his temper, he felt a small hand graze his fingers and a larger one clap his back. "Well, Veronica, look what the  _law_  dragged in," Conner teased.

"Should we shoot him?" Veronica played along.

"So violent," Logan whispered in her ear, letting his lips drag along the delicate shell, causing her to shudder lightly. Logan pulled back and smiled smugly at her glare and looked up to see his dad waving them over.

Conner pouted. "Okay, you two. Enough of that. Let's get this over with, and then I believe we need to have a chat with Miss Lilly Kane. Or maybe I can just go help Mac with something? I really don't want to deal with Lilly," he complained as they walked across the room to the sheriff and Veronica's parents.

"But you're part of the bait. I think she might let more slip if she's distracted by flirting with you. Not to mention that we don't want to risk pissing her off and having her tell anyone about our little arrangement here," Logan explained.

"After everything, you don't think she—" Veronica stopped speaking, a look of horror on her face.

A voice from across the room distracted him, "What do you mean spending so much time together!?" Logan's eyes swept to their parents to see that Aaron's face had turned quite dark and Lynn looked distressed.

"I just mean, as a fellow parent, I felt like it was my place to be upfront about my concerns regarding how much unsupervised time they've been spending—"

Conner groaned. "I take it you never explained how this works to your dad…" he whispered, leaving Logan to feel like he'd been punched in the stomach. Logan shook his head.

"Veronica, explain immediately!" Aaron's voice boomed across the large room, causing her to jump and everyone to stop what they were doing.

"Aaron, dear, why don't we all go into the family room; this isn't a discussion for in front of the help." Lynn placed a hand on Aaron's forearm which he pulled away as he turned on her. Then he stopped abruptly, a smile growing across his face. It was the same smile that Logan had seen in so many of Aaron's movies. Logan glanced at his father and saw the moment of recognition.

"Goodness, you know what, Lynn? I could really use a glass of water." Keith held out his arm to Lynn in a friendly manner and started leading her out of the room.

Logan and Conner quickly shifted to so that one of them was on either side of Veronica and followed behind them. They arrived in the kitchen seconds after Keith and Lynn and heard Lynn say in a low voice, "Aaron is not privy to much of Veronica's personal life…"

"I'm so sorry, Dad, we should have told you," Logan started to explain.

"I think  _I_  need an explanation," Aaron said tightly as he entered the kitchen behind them all.

Logan turned desperately to Veronica and Conner, not sure what the right thing to do was. Logan saw a light in Conner's eyes as he stepped forward.

"Yes, you do, Aaron. And I think I'm the one to give it to you." Conner looked around conspiratorially. "It's rather sensitive. I know Trina would not want this to leave the room. Um...Sheriff, maybe you and Lynn could finish up with the stalker business while I explain everything to Aaron."

Logan could tell his father was uncomfortable with the idea, but he nodded and escorted Lynn out of the room.

"What about my Trina?" Aaron still looked angry, but clearly the deflection was working.

Veronica moved in next to Conner. "She came home yesterday morning and it looked like someone had beat her up. She admitted to me that it was that creepy boyfriend she left in Australia," Veronica said, concern oozing out of her words.

"What does the sheriff's son have to do with this?"

"I have access to background check search engines and stuff through my dad. Veronica and Conner asked me to help. They wanted to know who the guy was before approaching you." Logan stood up straight and realized he was taller and broader than Aaron, which gave him a small amount of confidence. "I actually have the file with me." Logan reached into the messenger bag that was slung across his shoulder.

Aaron accepted the file and began flipping through the pages. "This bastard hurt my little girl?"

Logan swallowed back the bile that was threatening to come up his throat.  _How can he be so worried about this but not see what he does to Veronica is the same thing?_

"Yes, Aaron. And we thought you might have a few words for Mr. Goran. Logan included his current contact information in the file," Conner offered.

"Too right you are, Conner. If you'll excuse me, I have some phone calls to make." Aaron strode out of the room.

Conner grabbed Logan's arm and pulled him and Veronica along just behind Aaron, who was headed back to the room being decorated. A startled scream turned their attention to where Keith and Lynn were standing.

Sitting on top of a large decorative gift box was a giant pumpkin with Aaron's likeness carved into it in surprisingly intricate detail. Logan was impressed until he saw the large meat cleaver bisecting pumpkin Aaron's forehead.

"Well that's not normal," Keith said; everyone else stood speechless.

* * *

Veronica leaned her head back against the headrest while they waited at a red light.

"I think that went well, all things considered," Conner said from the backseat. He was sitting in the middle, and kept popping his head up between Veronica and Logan when he wanted to speak.

"I'm so sorry, Veronica. I had no idea my dad was going to go all crazy-parent on us like that. I guess that after last night I should have realized that he'd say something. He'd agreed a little too easily to me going along with him this morning."

Veronica reached over and took Logan's hand. "At least we had the Trina card to play this time." Veronica took a deep breath. "We need to talk to your dad. I'm just not sure what to say."

"Isn't it obvious? We need to tell him, Veronica. He saw Aaron—the real Aaron—today, even if it was only for a moment." Logan sounded almost excited.

"No, Logan. Do you know what will happen if your dad goes after Aaron? He'll find something on him. And he won't care that it hurts you. In fact, once he figures out what's between us, he'll use you to make me do what he wants and he'll probably do everything he can to hurt you. And with what you've told me about your mom…" Veronica shook her head sadly. "I'm pretty sure it won't be that hard for Aaron to spin that into something really ugly."

"Please, Veronica. He'll understand everything if we explain. Maybe we can get him to agree not to…" Logan turned away and pressed his face to the window, a heavy breath exhaled against the glass. "Who am I kidding? My dad wouldn't stop until he's nailed Aaron to the wall."

The light changed and Veronica continued her route to the Kane Estate. She'd called Lilly earlier and knew she was home and apparently willing to talk...at least after she'd heard that Conner would be with them. "Logan, we'll figure it out. But I don't want you to tell your dad. Just remember it's only two more days. On Saturday, Aaron and my mom are headed to Aspen or Whistler...whatever. They won't be back until shooting resumes after the new year, so we'll have more than a week to figure out what to do next."

"Mac said she'd help with getting my dad to come around, too." Veronica noticed as she pulled up to the security gate that, much to her relief, a small smile had formed on Logan's face.

"Veronica Echolls," she said to the security guard. "Lilly should be expecting us,"

"Yes, Miss Kane is expecting you." The guard glanced into the back seat. "Larkin! Oh man, my lady and I saw  _Christmas Crossfire_  last night. You were great!"

"Thanks, man! I'm really glad you liked it. Is your lady a fan?" Conner asked, always ready to engage with fans.

"You know it!"

"I don't have any headshots with me today but if you give me your contact info I'll send you one."

Veronica smiled. Conner was so good with people. Even better than she was. If Logan were dating him, Keith would have loved Conner. She sighed sadly and Logan took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Wow! That would make her year. Thanks so much." The guard shook Conner's hand through the rear window and handed him a business card.

"It's my pleasure." Conner waved as the guard triggered the gate to open, and Veronica gave a small wave, too.

"Is it wrong that I hope that Duncan isn't home?" Conner asked, bending forward to lean between them and search the driveway for cars. "The guy gives me the creeps."

"Yeah, he used to be so different. I spent a lot of time here when we were younger," Logan said, hopping out of the car and jogging around to let Veronica out of the driver's side.

They didn't have time to knock on the door. It swung open to reveal a pinched-looking woman wearing a velour jumpsuit. She felt Logan tense up next to her and sighed,  _Mrs. Kane, I presume_ , Veronica smiled.  _No wonder Lilly is sneaky and conniving when she needs to be, if her role model is a frigid crone._

"Logan, and…friends?" the woman said tightly. "How…lovely."

"No need to lie, Celeste," a voice from within the house called out melodically, "or worry." When Mrs. Kane turned, Veronica saw that Lilly was standing behind her. Veronica almost laughed out loud at the challenging glare Lilly had directed at her mother. "They're here to see me, not corrupt your precious son."

"Oh, Lilly, must we always have such theatrics?" Mrs. Kane sighed dramatically and then turned and walked away.

Lilly winked at her guests. "Oh, I think we must," she called out to her retreating mother. "But if you're nice, I'll ask Veronica to sign your copy of Us Weekly for you that came in the mail today." Then she leaned in to whisper close to Conner's ear, "She just makes it too, too easy to rile her up."

Conner threw Veronica a look that shouted 'help!' but then smiled, playing along. "That's why I'm so happy to be far far away from my prying mother this holiday season. Though, I agree, it's fun to rile her up."

"I instinctively knew that you'd understand me, Conner." Lilly smiled widely. "Tell me, why haven't we gone out yet?" she asked, folding her arm through Conner's and leading him through the house.

"Um...because I'm publically dating Veronica?" he said speculatively, nodding his head in Veronica's direction apologetically as he was dragged away.

"As if I'd ever let that stop me." Lilly winked at Veronica and waggled her eyebrows suggestively at Logan. When they reached the family room, Lilly spoke to Logan for the first time. "Lo-gan, I heard you stopped by yesterday to interrogate my little brother."

"Yes, and we'd like to talk to you about that, as well," Logan responded. "Is there somewhere we can go that's…" Logan turned his head and looked around, "maybe somewhere a little less...within Celeste's hearing range," he finished.

"Of course," she giggled. "I know you take your investigating very seriously." She grabbed Logan with the arm that wasn't wrapped through Conner and led them outside, leaving Veronica to take up the rear, solo.

 _Leave it to Lilly Kane to be the first person in history to make the fourth wheel feel left out,_  Veronica thought.  _It might be time to stake a claim; Lilly might respect such a move._  Veronica reached out, grabbed Logan's hand and pulled him back to walk with her. "I'll take this one, if you don't mind." Veronica met Lilly's gaze when the blonde turned in surprise.

"Well played, Echolls." Lilly nodded approvingly.

Veronica smiled back at Lilly.  _Indeed, Lilly Kane_ , she rejoined silently.

It was a sunny winter's day, so it was beautiful outside. Lilly steered them all toward a group of loungers on the far side of the pool. When they were outside and safely far away from the house, Logan began questioning Lilly.

"So, Weevil," Logan started.

"So, Veronica," Lilly countered

"Touché," Logan laughed.

"I can't imagine you'd have a problem with me and Eli because you had your chance—several of them in fact." Lilly smiled and looked him up and down.

"And I have the emotional scars to prove it. Your sex life is no concern of mine, Lilly. I'm far more interested in if your relationship with him means that the two of you are working together to steal money. I noticed that Weevil didn't have  _you_  strip down." Logan's tone was matter of fact.

"Eli doesn't like to mix business with pleasure," Lilly cooed. "I can't think of anything that would convince you, so I'm just going to come right out and ask what you want from me."

Logan didn't miss a beat. "I want you to tell me what's going on with Duncan. The guy's like a zombie. When I was over here yesterday...well, let's just say that when Meg is the dominant one in the relationship, something's up."

 _Seriously, Logan? The girl said absolutely nothing about her and Weevil._ Veronica fought to remain silent. She looked over at Lilly and saw that Logan had blindsided her.  _I guess he knows what he's doing, after all._

"You should have asked  _him,_ " she responded tightly, her voice harder than Veronica had ever heard before.

"I'm asking  _you_ ," he countered.

"If I tell you…" She paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Listen, I'll tell you if it will convince you that Eli had nothing to do with the taking the poker money," she relented. "But you can't share."

Logan smiled.

Veronica smiled, too.  _Ah, now we're getting somewhere._

"I'd never tell anyone anything you told me in confidence," Conner said vehemently.

"Me, neither," Veronica vowed.

"Investigator-client privilege," Logan insisted, holding up three fingers like a boy scout.

"Meg's pregnant. Duncan's freaking out. My parents are freaking out. It's as if they can see their perfect, future-nobel-prize-winning son's future flittering away before their eyes," Lilly finished breathily, waving her fingers high above her head dramatically.

To Logan's credit, he remained totally silent; his features gave nothing away. Conner didn't look surprised, or interested, in the least, but Veronica's brain was spinning on overdrive.  _Duncan and Meg...pregnant._

"Guess they gave all those birth control lectures to the wrong kid," Logan finally said. "It would be almost funny…"

"If it weren't so sad," Lilly finished. "Yeah, I know."

"Well, thank you, Lilly. I don't know what else to say," Logan commiserated.

"It's okay, Lo. There's nothing else  _to_  say," she smiled sadly at him.

Another moment passed between them all, and Veronica felt increasingly awkward. Veronica didn't mind that Logan and Lilly shared a connection; Logan, Lilly and Duncan used to be good friends. This must be a shock. "I guess we'll be on our way then," Veronica said. Lilly's gaze flew to her. She'd clearly been lost in her own little world with Logan. Her eyes hardened again as she looked at Veronica more closely, as if sizing her up.

Conner must sensed the tension, because he moved to tuck Veronica under his arm and began walking to the door. But Lilly's last minute change of demeanor gave Veronica pause.

"Actually, hold on," Veronica pulled away from Conner. "I'd like a moment alone with Lilly." She looked over to Logan, "If that's okay with you, that is."

"Of course. We'll just meet you at the car. Thanks, Lil'," Logan replied, squeezing her shoulder before making his way back to the house with Conner.

"Hey, Logan," Lilly called out before he made it more than twenty yards. "Did you check up on Sean?"

"I still need to talk to him. Why?"

"He moved the money box. It was quick, but it happened when I was making drinks and everyone was digging through the pizza boxes. Just a thought," she called out. Logan nodded and gave a half wave before he continued into the house with Conner. When they were out of sight, Lilly turned to Veronica. "Okay, Veronica Echolls, let's hear it." Lilly struck a defensive pose.

"What's going on with you, Lilly? You were nice to me when I was new in school, and you helped me when your friends messed with me. But now—now I don't understand what is going on between us."

"Nothing is going on between us, Veronica," Lilly said, a disinterested expression on her face. Veronica didn't buy it. Lilly was holding back.

"You're just so mercurial. You helped with the poker party, and you're clearly using something against Dick."

That got her attention. "He told you that?"

"He didn't have to," Veronica countered, searching Lilly's face, willing her to give something up.

"What's between Cassidy Casablancas and I, Dick and I, is between us. You have no clue as to the things that kid does...what he's capable of doing, and already has done."

"Lilly, what does that mean?"

"I don't know how much Dick told you, but what it  _means_  is that if Dick wants me to keep my mouth shut about his brother's little 'problem', then he has to give me what I need, too. And I don't owe you any explanation, Veronica Echolls."

 _Wow_.  _I suck at this investigating thing...either that, or I'm really good at it._  "You're right, you don't," Veronica finished lamely. "Sorry for bringing it up."

Lilly instantly transformed back to her usual, outwardly peppy, self. "No problem at all."

With that, Veronica left. There was no point in pushing Lilly any further, and she had too much information in her head right now, anyway. She strode purposefully to the house, not stopping until she was back at her car. She clicked the doors unlocked, and, without a word to Conner or Logan, climbed into the driver's seat.

"You okay, babygirl?" Conner asked, placing a hand on her shoulder from the backseat.

"Just...letting all this new information soak in," she said truthfully.

She knew from the look on Logan's face that he knew there was more to the situation, but he just nodded. No doubt he was having trouble absorbing what he'd just heard as well. Once they were on the road and pointed toward Logan's side of town, he picked up his phone and dialed, immediately putting the call on speaker.

"Hey there! Did you make some headway?" Mac answered, sounding eager.

"Hey, Mac, I'm sending Conner back to you and Wallace to do some research. Veronica and I are going to make one more quick stop."

" _Oh good, Wallace just arrived. We're at your place, contemplating the bulletin board."_

"Perfect, we're going to need as many minds as we can on this."

" _Yeah, sure; whatever you need."_

"I need you to get me an address for Sean Friedrich."

" _His address? Why?"_

"Because I want to mail him a Christmas card, Mac," he said teasingly. "You know why—he's the last person we need to visit for this poker case, and I've got a feeling he's our guy.

" _I'm just surprised, that's all. That's an unexpected twist. Why would the kid who's dropped off at school in a town car need six thousand dollars?"_

"I'll not sure yet, but my gut tells me that he's the missing piece of this puzzle."

" _We're on it. I'll have his address before you arrive to drop off Conner. Anything else?"_

"Unfortunately, yes. How close are you to breaking into Duncan's computer?"

" _I've just got one more thing I haven't been able to get at. I should be able to crack it soon, though."_

"Great! Lilly dropped the bomb about Duncan. His behavior….Meg's behavior...he got her pregnant, Mac. I think we can rule Duncan out, but keep working on the laptop just in case."

" _Holy hell. That's huge. I will—keep working on the laptop, I mean. See you soon."_

* * *

"We make a good team Echolls!" Logan said, spinning Veronica in a circle as they reached his front door. They'd just gotten back from Sean's house and were ready to share what they'd learned with the rest of the team.

"Let's try to sneak up on them," Veronica said playfully. Logan quietly opened the door and they tiptoed down the hall. When Logan and Veronica burst through the door into Logan's bedroom, Mac, Wallace and Conner all jumped.

"We did it!" Logan said, obviously proud of himself.

"You're excited that you scared us?" Mac asked, skeptical.

"No, we're really close to solving the case."

"Do tell!" Conner stepped away from the bulletin board and sat down at Logan's desk, giving him his full attention.

Veronica started, "So, after Mac got us Sean's address, we went to his house. We sure were surprised when Sean's dad answered the door. He was wearing a suit."

"I'm not following," Conner said.

"Me neither," Mac spoke up from behind the laptop she was staring at intently.

"Think about it; why would Sean's Friedrich's dad be home in the middle of the day. Why wouldn't he be at work?" she asked.

> _The wreathed door swung open to reveal a man in a suit._
> 
> " _Hi, we're here to visit Sean!" Logan said brightly._
> 
> _The man looked alarmed. "I'm sorry, but that won't be possible. Sean's not permitted to receive guests at home."_
> 
> _Just then, a voice from inside the house called out, "Mr. Friedrich, who is it?"_
> 
> _Mr. Friedrich gave Logan and Veronica a curt nod and abruptly shut the door._

"So, Mr. Friedrich wasn't home from work during the middle of the day at all...he was already  _at work_ ," Conner said, catching on.

"And they say you're just a pretty face," Logan made a kissy face at Conner.

"Who says that?" Conner chuckled.

"So, this is it! This is what we've been waiting for," Veronica exclaimed.

"It makes sense," Mac said. "The background check you asked me to run on him came back quite...colorful. It seems that Sean has a bit of a shoplifting problem. He's  _really_  bad at it."

"It's strange that my dad never mentioned it," Logan said. "I never saw him down at the station."

Mac pulled up the report again and looked at it closely. "It appears that Sean is smart enough to shoplift outside of the BC. These charges were filed in San Diego and Orange counties."

"Makes sense; it all adds up. Sean's dad is the chauffeur dropping him off at school every day. Sean's poor. Sean shoplifts. Therefore, Sean needs money," Wallace confirmed.

Logan began pacing. "Lilly saw him move the box on the table when she was making drinks. She didn't see him actually open it, but it's enough. He was drinking that cheap beer with the wide-necked bottle. He could have easily slid the roll of money into the bottle. No one would think to look at the trash, and he'd know that the money would just go out with the recycling. He'd just need to pick it up!" I think it's time to rally the masses." Logan smiled. He picked up his phone. "I'll send out a group text. Where should we all meet?"

"I say let's spice up this Echolls family Christmas," Conner said.

"Good idea! Invite them all to my family's Christmas Eve party for a poker rematch in the pool house. We can reveal all. Then we can enjoy the food at the party," she offered.

"Works for me," Logan stated, pulling out his phone to send out a group text. "Wallace and Mac, you can join us this time. After we eat, we can play poker for fun. I doubt anyone will want to stick around after we sell out Sean and collect our cut."

"Sounds fun to me!" Wallace spoke up.

"Mac I guess you can cool it with the laptop. I already pinned the whole thing on Sean," Logan said, tapping Sean's name on the bulletin board. "It's the only thing that makes sense...motive and opportunity. It's open and shut."

"Oh, no, I enjoy a challenge, and this laptop is just that. Duncan's been doing some online shopping...I see eBay," Mac said.

"Oh, boy! Check his eBay history," Conner said, interested. "I bet this whole Captain Dull is a cover for him being a total brony." He snickered at his own joke.

"Brony?" Mac stared at Conner.

"Yeah, you know. A 'My Little Pony' lover who isn't the target demo. Like twenty-two year old dudes dressing up like little cartoon ponies. I totally see Duncan being into the scene."

"Um...okay. Well, so far I'm not seeing any brony-tendencies. But I'll search through his purchases as I work to get past this last level of encryption on this huge file that I haven't been able to crack yet," she said, determined.

"If the reward isn't finding out he's buying weird shit, it just seems tedious. The guy is boring as hell...even when he's drunk." Conner shook his head.

"Not so boring that he didn't get a girl knocked up," Veronica stated plainly.

"I think...I think—shut the front door!" Mac shouted out, causing them all to jump.

Conner moved to sit down next to her, looking concerned. "You okay?"

"Yeah." she waved her arm at him distractedly. "I finally found something interesting. It seems that our pal Duncan has kept a pretty detailed journal on his laptop for quite some time…" Mac trailed off.

"Oh, is that all?" Conner flopped back in disappointment.

"Well that solves one mystery," Mac smiled.

"You mean the case of the guy who's too lazy to handwrite his journal like every normal person?" Veronica snarked.

"No, silly, the reason for all this encryption. Though it will take me a while to hunt through hundreds of pages of documents to find anything useful. We could search for some keywords, I guess...or just start by reading the most recent entries."

"We shouldn't read it at all," Logan protested. "Though if we did a search for the word 'Logan'..."

"No, search for 'Meg'," Veronica called out.

"Are have you all gone mad? Search for 'pregnant'," Conner stated.

"He's written a lot recently, and it's um...detailed." She tapped away on the keyboard some more. "I'm skimming through his latest entries, and it appears that Duncan has some form of epilepsy, and...wow!"

* * *

"Are you sure this was a good idea?" Wallace asked.

"Definitely! If we just asked everyone to show up, then they wouldn't have to look in each other's faces and own up to agreeing to participate in the rematch. Not to mention, I have a feeling we wouldn't have very many players, considering what we know about all of them now," Logan said in a hushed tone as they walked into Java the Hut.

"How'd you get everyone to show up here?" Conner asked from behind them.

"That'd be me," Weevil said, joining them. "Pretty boy here promised them I'd consider giving them all their stuff back if they met us. And I may have charmed Lilly a little."

"There they are." Mac pointed to the group of 09ers sitting around one of the larger tables near the back. "Wallace and I will be getting us all drinks. We'll be up front when you're done."

Logan took a deep breath. "You ready for this? They're going to be pissed when they don't actually get their stuff back."

"Let's get it over with, Mars." Weevil smiled and lead the way to the back table.

"Do you think there's a chance he could give me my watch back since he knows it wasn't me?" Conner whispered to Logan.

"I wouldn't hold my breath, Conner," Logan said, moving to the head of the table.

"So good news, bad news, everyone. The good news is that I know who took the money. The bad news is that I know who took the money. And also that Weevil isn't here to give you your stuff back."

"Fuck this bullshit! I'm out of here." Dick shoved back his chair and moved to leave.

"Sit your ass down, Richard," Lilly hissed, "I believe there's more…" Lilly waved her hand.

"Yeah, you can all have your shit back when Logan does his 'great' reveal tomorrow night at the Echolls Christmas Eve party. And then we do a rematch with Mars here taking the thief's place for a rematch." Weevil grinned at them all.

Sean scoffed. "You actually expect me to put up another grand just to get my watch back—"

"Well yeah, Sean, a Rolex Yachtmaster starts at like eight grand, so don't you care more about that than, say, two?" Logan asked, knowing of course that Sean's 'Rolex' actually was a 'Fauxlex' and couldn't have cost more than fifty bucks down at the boardwalk.

"God, Sean, you are so cheap. Just suck it up. What's another grand? That stupid fucking egg better be there tomorrow night, and in the same condition it left my house in," Dick sneered. "Can I leave now, Mistress Lilly?"

Lilly nodded and Dick got up and stalked out.  _I need to try and figure out what's going on between those two,_ Logan thought.

"So we'll be seeing the rest of you at my place tomorrow? And if you think about it, anyone who doesn't see this as a great offer is obviously the thief. Kind of a no-brainer, I mean seriously, even Dick got it." Veronica smiled at the rest of the group. "Besides everyone who isn't the thief will get to partake of the great catering at the party."

Logan let Conner lead him and Veronica away from the table to where Weevil had taken a seat next to Lilly.

"Is it weird to anyone else that Duncan didn't say a word that whole time?" Conner asked quietly as they approached Wallace and Mac.

"Weird, yes. Surprising? Not so much anymore," Logan commented. "Let's get out of here. I want to check in with my dad about the Madison/Lamb situation. And then I guess we all need to finish planning the reveal."

* * *

Logan walked into the station with Veronica and Conner trailing behind him. He was hoping that they could corner his father for a few minutes. It was imperative that they at least partially explain what was going on between himself, Conner and Veronica. They couldn't risk Aaron learning the truth. Keith needed to be made aware of the fact that Aaron had no knowledge of his daughter's life or comings-and-goings. And it was something that had to be done soon. Logan knew that his father would, despite having seen Aaron's reaction, surely make another attempt at speaking with Veronica's parents if he had an opportunity to. And that couldn't happen, at least not yet.

"Hey, Logan. And friends," Leo D'Amato's familiar voice called.

"Hey, Leo, is my dad around?" Logan asked, his eyes still scanning the bullpen.

"He's around here somewhere. I think he was taking a breather after giving Lamb his pink slip with prejudice." Leo smiled, "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"

"Huh? Oh, well you know Veronica. And this is—"

"Conner Larkin." Conner held out his hand. "Leo is it?" Conner held the handshake longer than typical.

"Deputy Leo D'Amato," Leo smirked, revealing big dimples.

"I do love to play a man in uniform." Conner winked.

Veronica gently hip checked Conner. "Hey, Leo, I bet Conner would love to hear all about what it's like to be a deputy. You know, research for a future role."

Logan smiled, had he told Veronica about Leo hitting on him? He couldn't remember, but clearly there was a spark between Conner and Leo. And if that freed up some alone time for him and Veronica, he would encourage it.

"Yeah, Leo! Aren't you off soon? Maybe you could entertain Conner for us tonight?" Logan gave Leo an encouraging smile.

"Yes, I am off soon. Um...that'd be cool. Conner, any chance I could talk you into getting coffee and maybe dinner with me?" Leo asked shyly.

"I would love to. Logan, Veronica, are you sure the two of you are fine without me for the evening?" Conner asked, his eyes never leaving Leo.

"I'm sure they'll manage." Keith's voice startled Logan.

"Dad! Just who we were here to see," Logan squeaked.

"Is that so? And what did you want to see me about?" Keith looked suspicious.

"Well, first to see if you'd found out anything more about Dylan Goran, and what the deal was with that creepy pumpkin," Logan said, regaining his confidence.

"Indeed. Why don't you and Veronica come to my office while D'Amato entertains Mr. Larkin?" Keith turned and started walking away.

Logan pressed his hand gently into the small of Veronica's back, feeling her hesitation. "It's fine. We're all in business mode."

"He's right, Veronica," Keith said as they shut the door behind them. "Whatever issues I may have with your  _relationship_ with my son, they do not in any way mitigate my concern for you and your family's safety. If anything, it enhances them, since Logan seems to be spending so much time with you. And, while we're on that subject, I want to know why your father—"

"Um...Dad, maybe we could tackle that bear later and just deal with one crisis at a time?" Logan interrupted.

Keith took a deep breath and straightened his back. "One crisis at a time? I'm not loving that phrasing, Son, but yes, let's deal with the stalker issues first. What you shared with me about Goran was correct. And Logan, you, Mac and I will be having a chat about using departmental resources; I had a very interesting conversation with Tony up in San Juan Capistrano earlier. It seems there is a problem with our database access that I was completely unaware of…"

 _Shit!_ "Oh, that...well—"

"Later, Logan. I wouldn't want Mac to miss out on all the fun," Keith said. Veronica giggled. "And don't think I didn't figure out that it's you who is so good at mimicking voices, Miss Echolls." Logan took his turn to laugh. "I heard you in the filing room with Logan the other day. If you ever decided to get into voice acting, I bet you'd do very well. Any chance you sing, too?"

"On occasion, Sheriff Mars," Veronica replied contritely.

"Well, for now, let's all keep our talents in the areas they belong. So, on that note, I want to reiterate my previous offer, Veronica; I don't think it's safe in your home at present. Mrs. Fennel and the Mackenzies have made open offers for you to stay with them at any time. It seems that, despite my own reservations, they all seem to like you a great deal." Keith rubbed his chin. "I'm going to trust Logan's judgement until we figure this out, and then I expect an explanation."

Logan swallowed and reached for Veronica's hand. "Okay, Dad. I'll do my best to deserve that trust."

"See that you do. Now, back to Goran and our mystery stalker. Goran did not deliver that pumpkin. But thanks to all the people at the Echolls estate, we do have a description, though it is fairly generic. The security team your parents employ has been beefed up, and I have BC deputies checking in regularly."

Logan let out a sigh of relief; that meant they would eventually catch this weirdo.

"What I do know is that Goran, in addition to the things you discovered he'd been charged with, has several additional complaints against him for stalking and harassment, though nothing seems to have come of them. No charges were ever filed. If he comes near you or anyone in your family, Veronica, I want you to call us immediately. And if he has been unwilling to accept your sister's decision to break contact with him, he may escalate his behavior. Men like this...they can be quite dangerous."

"Okay. Thank you, Sheriff Mars." Veronica squeezed Logan's hand.

Keith looked down at his watch, "All right, kids. I have to go. I have a very important house call to make before I have to head into San Diego. The ADA for the e-string killer case wants to meet with us all for some multi-departmental thing. I'm not sure how late it's going to go, but…" he sighed heavily, "I most likely will have to stay down there tonight. So I expect you to respect the house rules, Logan."

"You got it, Dad. House rules. Complete respect!"

* * *

Madison looked down at the text message she had just received and threw her phone at the wall.  _Lamb had one job!_ She stomped to her bathroom to sit in front of her magnifying mirror with the tweezers. But before she could start, her bedroom door swung open.

"Is everything okay, Madison? I heard a loud crash."

"Fine, Mom. Everything is fine. I just dropped my phone." Madison pointed to where her phone was on the floor, its case cracked. Madison heard her mother sigh and leave the room.

_Finally._

Madison dropped the tweezers back onto the counter and considered her options. It was only a matter of time before the stupid bitch, Veronica, found a way to spread that video—if it existed at all. And now, with Lamb fired, her options for retribution were drying up. She'd even gotten a text from Dick earlier telling her to 'fuck off', so she couldn't use him either.

What she needed was to go shopping; that always made her feel better. She dressed quickly and started down the stairs. "Mom, I'm going out!" she called just before walking out the door, only to come face-to-face with Sheriff Mars. Madison gulped,  _This can't be good._

"Hello, Madison. Heading somewhere? I think you'd better stay. I need to have a chat about you with your parents," he said sternly.

"Sorry, Sheriff. They aren't home, and I've gotta go. Maybe another time." she smiled falsely.

"Then why were you just yelling to your mother just a moment ago?" he asked, his eyes narrow.

"Um…"

"Madison, who are you talking to?" Mrs. Sinclair came into the entry hall. "Keith! How are you?"

"I'm well, Ellen. Though what I'm here to discuss brings me no pleasure."

"Well, I'd better be going. Tell Logan I said hi!" Madison called cheerfully, trying to get around the sheriff.

Keith chuckled. "Nice try, Madison. Ellen, I think we should all go sit down. Is Charles here?"

"Goodness, Keith, what is this about?" Madison's father asked, coming into the room.

"I'm afraid Madison has gotten herself involved in something quite troubling," Keith said, setting a laptop down on the dining room table.

Madison felt her pulse race, queued up on the screen was an image of her outside Dick's pool house.  _Guess they weren't bluffing about recording that conversation, after all._

"They recorded me without my permission!"

"I'm not here in my legal capacity, Madison. I'm here because I'm worried about you, and your parents need to see this. Please, Ellen, Charles...have a seat and I think it will become clear." Keith pressed play and Madison paced as she heard every word of a conversation she'd been trying to forget.

"Oh my God! Madison, you drugged someone?" Ellen had tears running down her cheeks.

"Thank you, Keith. I think we need to talk to Madison alone." Her father sounded so disappointed.

"There is one more thing. The deputy she referred to in the video, Don Lamb; I fired him today. It turns out he was engaging in other illegal activities. But the thing that concerns me the most is that it appears that he and your daughter may have been having a physical relationship. I don't have proof of it, but I wanted to make you aware of the possibility," Keith explained as he got up. "If at any point you need copies of any of the information on this recording, just let me know. If Madison can attest to sexual activity with any employee of my department, current or former, I will see them prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I'm sorry about all this." He took the laptop and left.

The door had barely closed behind him before her father turned on her. "What were you thinking? Do you have any idea what this could mean for your future? Not to mention the fact that you don't seem remorseful in the least that you endangered someone like that." Her father's face was red and her mother was silently weeping next to him.

"She's a bitch and was trying to steal my best friend!" Madison defended herself.

"That is no excuse!" her mother finally spoke. "Go to your room, I can't even look at you."

* * *

For the first time in a long time, Veronica didn't mind going home knowing Aaron would be there. Aaron was surely busy with the Trina-Dylan Goran situation, and Conner would be along later. And no matter what Aaron's current feelings were in regards to Veronica and Conner dating, he would welcome him with open arms at the Christmas Eve party.  _Things are looking up,_  she thought until she turned in the driver's seat and noticed that Logan was tapping his fingers on his knee rhythmically and his leg was bouncing.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked. "I mean, It's not too late to turn around. You heard my Dad. Even he's worried about you being at your house. And Dad won't be be back tonight so you can spend the night with me and get ready for the party tomorrow at my house. Or at Mac's. And Conner won't be back for a while if he's getting coffee and maybe dinner with Leo."

Veronica nodded and reached out to still his hand. "It'll be fine. Aaron might even be out. My mom is home; Trina is there. No worries, Logan. I'll sleep with Conner if it'll make you feel better—assuming he comes home tonight."

"Wow, it's a shitty state of affairs when my girlfriend sharing a bed with another guy is best-case scenario," he moaned, letting go of her hand to begin tapping it on his leg again while his other hand tugged at his hair.

"Logan, there is no way that Aaron will risk bruising me up before he hosts the party of the year," she said, reaching over to grab his hand again. "It's a huge photo-op. They'll have US Weekly back in the house taking pictures of us getting ready as a family and then a few of the party."

"Oh, I can take you home tonight and you'll be completely safe because your father won't beat you—you need to look nice for him tomorrow." Logan's tone was harsh. "Golly, I feel so much better now," he chirped with false excitement.

Veronica felt guilty. She wished there was a way to reassure him. She'd lived through this for so long that she could usually read the signs pretty well. Sure, she got blindsided from time to time, but it was rare. Swiftly, Veronica pulled over to the curb and shifted her little car into park. She looked over at him and saw his questioning gaze.

She shrugged. "I just wanted to talk to you for a minute before we get to my place...before things get crazy and my family is involved," she pulled him by the shirt and kissed him lingeringly. She saw him smile as he pulled away and realized that she was smiling, too. "I love you, Logan. I'm being honest here. When I was nervous about being with Aaron, I avoided telling you all together. I'm not worried about it now. Besides, I have to be there tomorrow, but if it would make you feel better maybe we could all get ready at my house?"

At his nod, she shifted the car into gear and drove the last few blocks to her house. She was surprised when they rounded the driveway and she saw several unknown cars, including a bright red sports car. "See? He's here, but so are others. Everything's going to be fine." She reached over and unfastened her seatbelt.

"Hmm, you say that, but I still don't know." Logan looked nervously up at the house's front door.

" _I_  know," she assured him. "I can feel it." She leaned in to kiss him, and when she tried to pull away he kissed her again.

"And you're never wrong?" he raised his eyebrows skeptically.

She shook her head, "Nope!" and then swung her car door open. Logan jumped out quickly and ran around the front of the car and held the door open for her.

"Remember? From the bonfire...chivalry!" He winked.

"My hero," she drawled out, batting her eyelashes at him, happy to see him being playful again.

They made their way into the house to find it empty. Veronica heard some voices out on the back porch. As she and Logan made their way through the family room, Veronica noted that the tiki torches lit up around the backyard. The door swung open, and the housekeeper appeared.

"Hi, Mrs. Navarro. I'm surprised you're still here. Are you cooking dinner tonight?" Veronica asked happily.

Mrs. Navarro threw her a nervous glance, but remained silent.

"What's going on? I saw cars outside. Do we have company?"

"Sí, Miss Veronica. It's just that...well, your father wanted to grill tonight." Veronica couldn't quite gauge the older woman's odd demeanor.

"Should I not go out there?" she asked, groaning inwardly that Logan was here to witness drama after her attempts to reassure him.

At Mrs. Navarro's silence, Veronica pushed past her and out onto the patio. The silky smooth voice of Dean Martin came through the outdoor speakers. Veronica saw her mother sitting nervously at a patio table, a tumbler of scotch in her hand. Veronica first reached Trina, who was standing at the edge of the steps. Trina was nervously chewing on her perfectly manicured nail, which gave Veronica pause. Trina turned and let out a sigh of relief when she saw Veronica and then a look of dread at the sight of Logan. "Trina's what's going on?"

"Oh, Veronica, it's not a good time for Logan to be here," Trina said, worriedly. She gave Veronica a warning glance, but said nothing else.

 _Please don't let this be another guy that Aaron's trying to pimp me out to,_  Veronica silently fear for Logan ratcheting up as she took in the look on his face, "Logan, I don't suppose there's any way that you would go back in the house for a minute?" she asked even though she knew it was futile.

"Like hell, I will!" Logan stepped closer, obviously scanning the yard behind her.

Veronica nodded, "Then will you stay here for a second while I talk to Trin—"

"Is that Veronica I hear?" Aaron's excited voice came from the grilling area. Then her father stepped out into the light where Veronica could see him. "You're home! Come say hello to our good friend, Dylan."

The momentary relief Veronica felt that it wasn't someone for her was short lived.  _This isn't good._

Veronica did as Aaron asked. She walked across the patio with Logan trailing slowly a few feet behind her. She motioned for him to stop and was relieved that he did. She took a few more steps, and, when she got to the line of three barbecue grills, she saw her dad flipping steaks. Aaron's smile lit up his whole face. He held out a long, pronged grilling knife and was waving it to the music like a conductor would a baton.

 _Oh shit, it's psychotic Aaron_. Sadistic charm was literally oozing from his person. "Dylan, here," Aaron swung the knife in Dylan's direction, "has offered me a job. It's interesting. I'd be a junkie hitman with a conscience. And I'd only need to work...maybe three days, tops!"

Veronica stood, frozen in shock and looked over at Dylan, who also suddenly looked hesitant. She'd expected Aaron to make some phone calls...maybe expose Dylan's past publicly so that he'd never work in the industry again, not invite him to dinner.  _I should have known better..._

"Sounds...interesting," Veronica finally responded diplomatically. It was odd to see her father's lunacy directed at someone else. She'd never seen it before, and yet his air was so familiar. She remained stone still, afraid that any sudden move might set him off.

"You know, it sounds a lot like my old man. I feel like I could draw from my experiences with him for this character. He used to beat my mom and then try to drink the demons away. My mom was so embarrassed...always wearing dark glasses around the house and trying to cover up bruises with makeup." Aaron wiped the long knife with a towel and carefully set the cloth down.

Veronica began to retreat slowly, backward, toward the steps to the house where Trina stood. She bumped into a strong body.  _Logan!_  whom she hadn't even heard approach. His arms enveloped her protectively and then guided her back farther as they retreated together, their arms tangled together across her chest.

Without warning, Aaron grabbed Dylan's face with his free hand, put his face close Dylan's and said, "You think you can hit my daughter?" His words were cool and calm, and Veronica fought the urge to turn and run.

"Daddy?" Trina whined.

"My daughter!" Aaron bellowed.

Veronica began to shake and Logan picked her up and continued to back up the steps. When they were next to Trina, she felt him release her with one arm, which he then used to grab Trina, still putting more distance between them and Aaron. Veronica looked over to her mom, who merely took a sip from her glass as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Daddy, don't kill him!" Trina shouted.

At her words, Aaron seemed to remember the knife in his hand and dropped it right before he began to pummel Dylan Goran. Aaron punched Dylan until he fell to the ground and then kicked him, only stopping when Dylan no longer tried to get up. Various lawn furniture was broken over the top of the young man, and Veronica flinched with each impact. When Dylan began to moan, Aaron took off his belt. After a few cracks, she could take it no longer.

"Enough," Veronica screamed, turning to bury her face in Logan's shirt.

Her plea, surprisingly, must have broken Aaron from his spell. There was silence for a moment, and Veronica finally turned enough to peek at him from where she stood in Logan's arms.

Aaron was panting and spent. He pulled his hair out of his face and then looked around at the people on the porch, seemingly surprised. "Oh, hey, honey; I didn't know you brought home a guest. Aren't you the sheriff's boy? You found the dirt on this prick?" Aaron kicked Goran in the stomach.

Veronica felt Logan nod to Aaron; obviously Logan was too shocked to speak.

"Well, I don't think we were formally introduced this morning," Aaron smiled. He casually stepped over Dylan's prone form and reached his hand out for Logan to shake. "Aaron Echolls," he said, as if it were like any other introduction. As if normal people beat young men to a bloody pulp and then finished grilling dinner.

Veronica could feel Logan's reluctance, but he eventually did reach out and let Aaron shake his hand. Then, Aaron turned and picked Dylan up by the shirt-collar to standing. "Trina's friend was just leaving; would you mind helping me show him to the door?"

After a moment of silence, Aaron nodded to the limp boy in his hands, encouraging Logan.

Logan gave Veronica a fleeting glance and then looked back at Aaron. "Um...sure, I'd be glad to," Logan finished, letting go of Veronica to sling one of Dylan's arms over his shoulder as Aaron lead them around the side of the house to the driveway.

* * *

She checked the mirror, yet again. Everything was perfectly in place. It had to be perfect for tomorrow. It had to be flawless. No, she had to be flawless. And she would be.

The whole plan was brilliant. Impeccable. Infallible, really. The wait staff uniform matched those of the real staff perfectly and she'd been able to add some minor adjustments for her own, personal benefit.

The usually form fitted pants were slightly baggy and had a homemade leather sheath sewn into a pocket so that she could safely carry her ice pick. The pants also flared slightly at the ankle a little more than was fashionable so that she could hide a knife there in case the ice pick didn't cut it or was discovered. The patterned red vest and tie she wore matched everyone else's, however. It was perfect down to the ugly, functional shoes and stupid Santa hat.

She'd wear her hair in two braids just as she'd done when she'd been an extra on his set just over a year before. The set where she'd fallen in love with him, and, despite the fact that he'd only fucked her in his trailer twice, she knew that he'd fallen in love with her, too.

If only he'd answered her calls and given in to his feelings. If he had they could have been together. It didn't need to be like this. It could have been so different—so happy.

But all of that was over. They were beyond that now. She assumed that her little gift had arrived this morning. That should prove to him, once and for all, how serious she was. Maybe now he'd take her seriously. She threw down the US Weekly magazine that she'd been holding which featuring Aaron Echolls and his perfect family.

She'd show them. She'd take down Aaron in his own home in front of hundreds of his doting friends. Then she'd watch him bleed out onto the floor, knowing that his beautiful wife and daughters were watching him die, too.

She looked down at the picture on the cover again from where the magazine lay on the floor. They wouldn't be smiling tomorrow. They wouldn't be smiling for long.

* * *

Logan was completely unnerved. He'd made it through the most frightening dinner of his life on a wing and a prayer...okay, maybe that was being overly dramatic. But the forced normalcy of Trina, Lynn, and Veronica while Aaron preened and sought compliments had been painful. Logan couldn't figure out how they all lived under the same roof with that man.

 _Oh right...they don't._  Trina, from what Veronica had told him, hadn't spent much time at home since her early teens when she'd started acting. And Lynn and Veronica had moved to Neptune to get away from him. Even if he hadn't been an abusive fuck, Logan would have understood.  _Aaron Echolls is the most obnoxious person I've ever met_.

Logan stood waiting in the entryway, hoping to avoid any more interactions with the Echollses while Veronica quickly packed a bag for the night. Even she hadn't argued when he'd strongly suggested staying with him again.

"So, Logan, you're still here?" Aaron's voice boomed from down the hall where his suite of rooms was located.

"Oh yeah. Veronica was my ride," he said cautiously.

"I see. And why did she so rudely leave you here to wait?" Logan's jaw tensed; he could feel anger his building but knew that reacting now would be the opposite of helpful.

"Oh, stop giving him a hard time, Daddy!" Trina's voice was the most welcome sound Logan could imagine in that moment.

"Well Treenie, I have to tease him a little, don't I? You don't mind do you, Logan?" Aaron said, his entire demeanor changed.

"Of course not, sir."  _Sir?_

"I want to thank you again, Logan," Trina said. "Dylan was a terrible guy. And what you did...it meant a lot to me." Trina's words seemed simple enough, but Logan knew that she was trying to convey so much more. "I came down for a reason, though. Daddy, Harvey is on the phone."

"Oh, well, thank you." Aaron leaned over and kissed Trina on the top of the head. "I'm glad you could join us for dinner tonight, Logan. Tell your father I said hello," Aaron said before striding out of the room.

"Thank you, really. I know I act...well...Veronica...I'm glad she has you. If you break her heart, you'll regret it more than you can imagine," Trina said, her voice full of conviction, even as she limped away.

 _Time to blow this joint! Any more heart to hearts with any Echollses not named Veronica may make my head explode_.

A few seconds later, Veronica skipped down the stairs, grabbed Logan's hand and dragged him out of the house.

* * *

Veronica parked her car in front of Logan's house, took a deep breath and then let it out, releasing all the tension she had built up with it.

"Are you okay?" he asked, sounding far from okay himself.

"Not particularly. But, we survived Aaron Echolls in full psycho mode. What did your dad mean about house rules?"

"No clue. He's never discussed any with me. So, I took that to mean it was at my discretion." Logan smiled brightly.

Veronica couldn't help but smile also. "Well in that case, I am in need of some serious stress releasing." She fluttered her eyelashes at Logan and got out of the car.

She heard Logan scrambling behind her, and over her shoulder, saw that he had her overnight bag in his hand as he jogged to catch up to her. At the door, Veronica turned to Logan. "I don't want to think about him once tonight. Do you think you can help me with that?"

Rather than speak, Logan captured her lips. He placed a series of soft kisses across her lips as he shifted their positions. Somewhere in the background, Veronica could hear the jangle of keys and felt the door give way behind her. She let Logan direct her backward into the house, where he unceremoniously dropped her bag and pulled her into his arms.

Veronica moaned as Logan spun them and pushed her against the door, his nimble fingers turning the lock then moving back to Veronica's bare thighs where his hand slid upward. His hands cupped her ass, lifting her up, and a different kind of tension began building inside of her. Logan kissed down her neck, finding all her favorite spots as he moved to tease his fingers along the edge of her boyshorts at her center. He moved back to her lips and kissed her deeply as he pushed the fabric away and slid a finger into her, his thumb moving to her clit. Veronica let her head fall back against the door and focused on the feeling of Logan's hand.

"Baby, let go," he whispered in her ear as he pressed a second finger inside of her and felt her anxiety melt away with her orgasm. She felt boneless and heavy in Logan's arms, but she couldn't seem to get her brain to communicate with the rest of her body as he slowly worked her down. Veronica was vaguely aware that they were moving but didn't fully comprehend anything in particular until Logan sat on his bed with her still in his arms.

"Do you want to try to get some sleep?" he asked softly, his lips brushing against her ear.

Veronica sat up, her limbs still felt like jelly, but she managed to remove her shirt. Logan eyes darkened with promise where moments earlier there had been only softness. Veronica grinned. "Not yet."


	11. On the eleventh Day of Christmas, Santa gave to me….eleven carolers with my alpaca and an early shot at my trust fund money

**Chapter 11: On the Eleventh Day of Christmas, Santa gave to me….eleven carolers with my alpaca and an early shot at my trust fund money**

* * *

**Friday, December 24th**

Logan woke slowly, a small warm presence tight against his side. He felt a smile spread across his face and wished that he could wake up this way everyday. Memories of the night before filled Logan with a pleasant contentment. They'd spent most of the night wrapped up in each other, having little trouble keeping the bad events of the day at bay.

Veronica stirred against his side, and Logan gently ran his fingers across her cheek, hoping she would open her eyes. He wasn't disappointed. Her eyelids fluttered but seemed to stick.

"I never took off my makeup." Veronica's voice was hoarse with sleep.

"We got a little carried away." Logan pulled Veronica tighter into him and left a trail of soft kisses across her neck and shoulder.

"Mmm...I remember. You were very devoted to the task."

Logan smiled against her collarbone, before nipping it, "Sometimes to succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal'," Logan quoted.

"Well, then, I'd say you were  _very_  successful last night, love," Veronica moaned.

Logan laughed against her skin. "Please say we can blow off our plans for today," he begged.

"Oh, if only!" Veronica agreed. "But today is a big day. So much to do, and so little time. But it isn't all bad, you get to do your big reveal and take your cut of Weevil's winnings. And today is the last day I will have to see my father's face this calendar year!"

He liked the sound of that. Rolling back onto his side, Logan settled in next to her. He began to idly run his fingers across her upper chest, unable to be so close to her without touching her. "So, where do we start?" he asked, not sure that he wanted to know.

She pulled him down to kiss her lips and smiled. "Well,  _I'm_  going to start by taking off this make-up. Feel free to stay in here and keep the bed warm...or you could join me in the bathroom," she flirted before she rolled over and jumped out of his bed.

_Spend more time with her or lay here alone?_  It was no choice at all. "I'm right behind you," he called out after a few seconds, pulling back the covers to follow her.

Logan sat on the edge of the bathtub and watched Veronica with fascination. She had set out a series of little bottles and things on his counter and was currently dousing a Q-tip with baby oil. It reminded him of that first day when she had shown up at school and changed everything.

"Hey, it's been killing me. How'd you know baby oil would make it easier to get the duct tape off? And why on earth did you have any in your purse?" Logan asked.

Veronica laughed, "Well, you're seeing one of the reasons I keep baby oil in my purse right now." She leaned toward the mirror, wiped the Q-tip across her eyelid and then held it out to Logan; it was now black. "It takes off eyeliner and mascara in a pinch and makes for a decent lotion. All the years of hanging around movie sets...you pick up tricks. When costumes rip or don't fit right, duct tape and safety pins are gotos." She continued removing her eye makeup. "And let me tell you, I've experienced removing duct tape from your skin...not fun. Conner had to teach me that trick after a wardrobe malfunction at a premiere."

"You just know all sorts of weird stuff, don't you?" Logan moved to stand behind Veronica, wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"I'm a fount of knowledge. Actually, there is something I know that I want to talk to you about. I'm just not sure where to start."

Logan looked at her quizzically. "The beginning is usually a good place," he said, reminded of when he'd found out about what Aaron was doing to her. Logan was startled to see Veronica's reluctance. He turned his head to kiss her neck, "You can tell me anything."

"So you remember how you commented about Lilly clearly having something over Dick that must have been bad?" she asked.

"Sure. Dick is a bit of a pushover, but usually only when he gets something out of it. I couldn't come up with what he could possibly be getting out of Lilly." Logan shrugged, releasing Veronica and walking her back into his bedroom.

"Her silence. That's what he was getting."

Logan sat on the edge of his bed and waited for Veronica to continue, but she seemed to be stuck. He held out his hand, "Her silence?"

Veronica took his hand and let him pull her into the V between his legs, "She knows that Dick's brother played on some Little League team. He said something about the coach. Woody Goodman."

Logan shuddered. "Woody, huh? He owns this burger chain and is a part owner of the Sharks." At Veronica's confused expression, he elaborated, rubbing his hand up and down her thighs, "Neptune's own major league baseball team. I met the guy when I won a writing contest for journalism last year. He stroked my bicep. Dude was weird." Logan remembered being glad he didn't have to be alone with him.

"Well, that's what Dick said she knew. When I talked to Lilly, she implied that Dick's little brother had done something bad. And, while she wasn't direct, I think she meant that he had done something to her." Veronica moved to sit on Logan's lap, tucking herself in close.

"I don't remember ever hearing a rumor to that effect." Logan wrapped her arms around her waist and shifted further back onto the bed, rolling so they lay face-to-face. "Beaver—Cassidy—is a little different, but I don't really know him. We could ask Mac—they're kind of friends," Logan offered, uncertain what to think of the information.

"But what if it's something really bad?" Veronica asked, resting her head on his arm. "You didn't see them. Both Lilly and Dick seemed haunted and angry."

Logan stroked her back comfortingly as he tried to decide what the best option was. A thought occurred to him, "Now you know how I've been feeling."

She pulled away and met his eyes, "What?"

"At first...not knowing what was wrong but being sure that there was something there. Then when I started getting a clearer picture...it's a bad feeling, huh?" Logan hoped he wasn't pushing his luck.

"It is a bad feeling." She dropped her head back to his arm and snuggled even closer. "Is this how you feel knowing my secret?"

"So much worse. You don't even really like Dick and Lilly. I'm in love with you." He kissed her temple.

"What should we do?"

Logan suspected that she wasn't just asking about Dick and Lilly. "The only thing we can do at this point. I really think we should tell my dad. Normally, I would suggest we have Mac dig into Woody Goodman and Cassidy, but I'm pretty sure our use of Tony has been cut off."

Veronica nodded against his chest. "I'm afraid to tell him. I don't want anything to happen to you."

Knowing they were no longer talking about Lilly and Dick, Logan shifted Veronica so that she was looking at him. "I know you don't. But what happens next time Aaron questions our relationship and we don't have a distraction to throw at him? We were lucky yesterday morning."

"He won't question it again as long as your dad doesn't bring it up."

"And how do you propose we prevent him from doing that? We have to tell my dad something. Something he'll believe. Because, trust me, if we lie to him and he finds out, the first person he's probably going to is your dad," Logan said, feeling exasperated.  _It felt like progress for a minute there…_

"Maybe we can emphasize it being more about Conner?" she offered, pressing her face into his chest again.

"If that's what you want. I don't think Conner would mind. I'm sure he would back you up. But that doesn't really explain why we don't want him to tell your dad." Logan felt her body shudder against his, so he held her tighter. "We don't have to decide this right now."

"But I think we need to do something about whatever is going on with Dick and Lilly. And Logan, with this stalker situation, your dad is around my parents too much." She sighed, and it sounded like defeat. "We have to tell him something so that he'll back off, but I'm not ready to tell him all of it. You said it yourself; he'll want to nail my dad to the wall. And if he does, it'll only end with us all in worse shape than we already are."

Logan nodded against her head. "I think I have an idea."

* * *

After their conversation that morning, Veronica talked Logan into showering with her to celebrate his brilliant idea and calm her nerves. Then he had run out to get them breakfast while she called to check in with Conner and let him know the plan. With a full stomach, and as relaxed as was possible given the circumstances, Veronica drove to the sheriff's station.

The building looked ominous, as did the gathering storm clouds. They were the first she'd seen since moving to Neptune. They made her want to turn the BMW around and go back to Logan and hide in his arms, but a sharp knock on her window ruined the opportunity for escape.

"Veronica?" Keith Mars asked after she opened her door.

"Sheriff Mars. Um...can we talk?"

"Are you okay? Is Logan? I just talked to him, but—"

"He's fine, I promise. And I am, too. But you said yesterday that you wanted an explanation, and Logan convinced me to give you one."

Keith nodded and seemed to be waiting.

"Somewhere private."

"Oh, of course. Come inside. You know where my office is; I'll grab us a couple of sodas and meet you there," he said, confusion and concern creasing his features.

Veronica nodded and headed to the office without another word, hoping she could keep it together. She had spent the entire drive to the station rehearsing how she wanted to start the conversation, and as soon as Keith was seated across from her, it just came pouring out. "I know that things don't make sense and you're worried that I'm just using Logan. But the only reason it doesn't make sense is because you're missing pieces of the puzzle," Veronica said, barely holding her nerves at bay.

"Then I think you'd best fill me in, Veronica. I don't like this thing between you and my son. I don't trust you; you're hiding something, and I've learned over the years to trust my instinct about these things. When I've chosen to ignore them, I've regretted it."

Veronica smiled sadly. "Logan told me about his mom. I promise you this is not one of those situations."

Keith nodded and indicated she should continue.

"Growing up with famous parents has its perks...money, comfort, but it also means being under the scrutiny of the public pretty much all the time. And then in addition to that, Aaron...my dad, rather...has very particular ideas about what role his family is supposed to play both in public and at home." Veronica took a deep breath. "In public, it's my job to be a doting daughter following in his footsteps. And in private, I'm a pawn he uses to make better movie deals and to take his anger out on."

Veronica looked down at the floor, afraid to see the look on the sheriff's face. Either he would think she was lying or there would be pity.

"Veronica, it's okay. It's not my place to judge you; don't think of me as your boyfriend's father right now."

Veronica laughed, hard and harsh. "Do you think I would even consider telling you any of this if you weren't Logan's dad?"

"Then why are you telling me this if it's not because I'm the sheriff?"

"You need to know. I don't want this getting in the way of Logan and I being together, and as long as you don't know the situation, you're not going to be supportive of it."

Keith nodded, a grimace on his face.

"Anyway, I'm not the only one who has to maintain appearances, which is where Conner comes in. He's my best friend and he's gay, Sheriff Mars. Our romantic relationship is smoke and mirrors. His fan base…well, can you imagine? People are more open now, but his publicist and agent have been pretty strongly against him coming out publicly...at least until he's older and more established. He's worked with my dad quite a few times, and his publicist suggested I might be a good match...for a lot of reasons, but mostly because people would be so excited about it that they wouldn't notice the things that didn't add up." Veronica reached for the soda Keith had given her when she'd first come in.

"So you're Conner's beard? What do you get out of that?"

"Besides a good friend? Protection and a buffer. Conner wasn't the first setup. My dad had set me up with a few other, well-placed guys in an attempt to get some sort of advantage. And in the last three months, he's tried it twice more. He got tired of Conner and I since it's no longer working to his advantage. Conner and I are old news and we don't do anything dramatic." Veronica could hear Keith suck in a sharp breath. "The second time was that weekend in LA when Logan didn't come home. I'm really sorry he lied to you about that, but Aaron created a very bad situation and dropped me in the middle of it. Logan and Conner…they rescued me from what could have been a very bad night with a strange man."

"But you're a minor!" Keith sounded outraged.

"That doesn't matter to him, or the men he set me up with. It didn't matter that, as far as Aaron knows, I am in a long term committed relationship. But it doesn't matter because all I am to him is dollar signs, and in that case, a chance for another Oscar." Veronica sighed unhappily and shook her head. "I love your son. If I could have a public relationship with him without the risk of reprisal from my father, I would. This isn't what I want either. But with Aaron's resources…I'm not willing to risk it. Conner can protect himself because of who he is; his career might take a hit if Aaron outed him, but Conner is well liked in the industry. He'd recover. But what Aaron would do if he knew I cared about someone, really cared...he would use it to hurt all of us, you included."

"I'm an adult and the sheriff, Veronica. I can take care of myself."

"What would happen if the media found out about Lianne and Jake? What about Logan using departmental resources for his cases?" she asked softly.

"Are you threatening me?" Keith asked, his voice deadly calm.

"No. But he will; don't you see what I mean? Next year is an election cycle right? What would it mean for you and Logan if you were run out of office? Aaron could do it; hell, he wouldn't even have to do it himself. He'd hire someone else to do it for him. And at the end you'd have nothing, and I…well, suffice it to say, I don't turn eighteen until August and it would be very bad for me."

"I can help you, Veronica. I can't believe Logan didn't bring this to me!" he said, hitting his fist on the desk, exasperation clear in his voice.

"I made him promise not to. What can you do?"  _Here's where we put Logan's theory to the test. I sure hope he's right about his father being willing to cooperate;_  "What has Aaron actually done that's against the law? Setting his daughter up on date…not illegal. Creepy considering the who, but not against the law."

Keith took her hand. "You said he takes his anger out on you. What did you mean by that, Veronica?" he asked, his voice now gentle.

"I didn't mean to tell you that. And it doesn't matter anyway."

"It matters to me."

"I know, but there isn't a thing you can do. No one will believe me. My own sister doesn't or is in denial. My mom is a barely, if at all, recovering drug and alcohol abuser. Even if I had proof, what do you think would happen, Sheriff Mars?"

Keith dropped his face into his palms, then began rubbing his temples, "This is what Logan meant about it not being his secret to share." Veronica nodded. "From my experience, abusive parents with means not even as substantial as your father's are able to manipulate the system. And if what you say is true about your mother, she most likely wouldn't be able to get custody," Keith sighed. He stood abruptly, shoving his chair hard toward the wall of filing cabinets and causing a loud commotion and a few drawers to pop open.

"Now do you understand why I didn't want Logan to tell you?"

"Yes. But I'm still angry. I…what can I do Veronica? Why tell me any of this?"

"For a few reasons. The main one is that, while trying to figure out what to do about another problem—that we'll discuss next—I realized that if you knew what was really going on, you wouldn't try to stop Logan and me from being together. And Logan has convinced me that you'll help me; I'm hoping he's right. I've had to face the reality that, even with Logan, Conner and my mother running interference, we may need more than that. I want you to help me start to document what he's done, so that when I turn eighteen, my mom can file for divorce and have leverage. But it all has to be done very discreetly and it cannot be official."

Keith nodded. "Okay. I'm going to think about all of this, and then you, Logan and I are going to discuss it further. We need a clear game plan. I just…I took an oath to serve and protect, Veronica. I am legally obligated to file an official report…"

"You know what will happen if you do. It won't stop what's been happening; it just means I'll probably be moved somewhere else where you won't be able to help me. Somewhere where I won't be able to see Logan. Please don't do that." Veronica felt tears gathering in her eyes.

"I'm not going to. At least not yet. It's just a lot to take in. Okay, you said there was something else you wanted to tell me about."

"Yes. Do you know who Woody Goodman is and what him being a Little League baseball coach might have to do with blackmail?"

* * *

The table was covered with makeup samples and hair products.  _The usual_ , Veronica thought, picking through the perfume samples to see if she liked any of them. After the emotional intensity of the morning, a little mindless beauty product browsing was kind of nice.

"Wow, this is even more extreme than when we got ready for the movie premiere," Mac said, looking a bit awestruck even after going through hair and makeup. Veronica understood; seeing her stylist at work was nothing when compared to seeing her mother's. There was a full scale production going on in her mother's master suite.

"This is a whole other ball game. This is the full-court press, if you will." Veronica winked at Wallace who was standing, dumbstruck, at the door to Lynn's room.

"Sports analogies? Really, Veronica?" Trina breezed into the room. "You know it isn't nice to tease the boys. Why don't you put them in the upstairs sitting room? I think there's an old Nintendo in the cabinet." Trina smiled genuinely at everyone. The remains of her bruises were no longer visible, which was good. Veronica frowned as Trina headed back to where hair and makeup were being done, noticing that her sister still had a bit of a limp.

"It's fine, Veronica, I'm confident Wallace and I can find our way. Where should we leave our suits?" Logan asked, sneaking a quick kiss and playfully tugging on the tie of the robe Veronica was wearing.

"My room is fine." Veronica pointed down the hall. "Stay out of trouble."

Veronica still felt conflicted after her conversation with the sheriff earlier that day. Part of her felt as if a huge burden had been lifted from her chest since she'd revealed her secret. On the other hand, she also worried that she was now sitting on the edge of disaster. He'd promised not to do anything...yet. She felt confident that she was safe for the time being. Tonight Sheriff Mars was going to be busy handling additional security for the party, which would keep him busy. But, he'd made it very clear they would all be discussing her situation in depth once her parents had left town for the rest of the holiday.

"Are you okay, Veronica?" Mac asked.

"Of course. Never better. Hey, did you look at all the dresses they brought for me? I know we're not the same size but there might be something you like that would fit even if it's a little short." Veronica dragged Mac over to the two racks of dresses that had been brought for her and Trina to choose from. "Actually, Mac, Trina's only a little taller than you…" she indicated the side of the rack with dresses chosen for her sister.

"Oh, I don't know—"

"Don't be silly, dear. Find something you like; Trina's already chosen her dress." Lynn wrapped her arms around both girls shoulders, her words were only slightly slurred, but her breath ninety proof.

Veronica cringed and maneuvered her mother, hoping Mac wouldn't notice. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw their makeup artist come into the room. "I think they're ready for you, mom," Veronica said, pointing to Savannah waiting by the door.

"Excellent," Lynn said and stumbled almost gracefully away from the girls.

Veronica hadn't seen her mother sober since they'd found the Jack-O'-Aaron, and it hurt because she had been doing so well. It was the same cycle on repeat, unfortunately: a few weeks of reasonable sobriety followed by a backslide, usually centered around Aaron...though not always.

"Ladies, you look lovely!" Conner announced, entering the room.

"Oh, stop, we aren't even dressed yet." Veronica slapped his chest lightly.

"You're always lovely to me," he flirted.

"Keep it up, sweet talker, and you might get a prize."

"Oh, I think I already got my prize last night. Why didn't you tell me there was a hot deputy?" Conner wrapped his arm around Mac and dragged them over to a settee.

"Take that up with Logan. I didn't even know the guy existed." Veronica laughed. "You going to see him again?"

"Probably. We had a  _lot_  of fun." Conner teased, "Did you have fun last night? I heard there was drama."

"Drama doesn't even begin to describe it." Veronica sighed, remembering the look on her father's face as he beat Goran. He'd been more out of control than she'd ever seen him before. Veronica looked up and saw the quizzical look on Mac's face. It was time for a subject change. "Conner, dearest, can you help Mac pick a dress? I need to go get into mine."

"It would be my honor!" Conner stood and gave a courtly bow, "Miss Mackenzie, may I escort you back to the rack full of dresses?"

Mac gave Veronica a look that conveyed that they would be having a talk later, but Veronica hoped the night would be busy enough that any interrogations would have to wait until after she had a reasonable explanation and had filled in Conner and Logan. Wanting to get out of there before Mac decided that now was the time for more questions, Veronica grabbed her dress bag and headed down the hall.

She slipped into her room and leaned back against the door. The door swung open abruptly, and almost knocked her to the ground. Fortunately, two large hands caught her.

"Sorry," Logan whispered in her ear as he pulled her back against his chest. "I know we won't get much time for just the two of us tonight...what with the performances we'll both be putting on. So, I wanted to sneak in a few minutes of just us." He kissed her neck gently.

"Lock the door," Veronica hummed as Logan's hand gripped her waist then pulled away from her.

"Please tell me you aren't in some crazy Spanx or something under this robe," Logan said, turning the lock on the door.

"Come find out." Veronica laid herself across her bed.

"Hmm...I think I will," Logan growled and lunged for her, but Veronica held up a hand.

"Watch the hair and makeup, or I'll have to have them redone," she cautioned.

Logan smiled and ran a gentle finger down her cheek, "You look beautiful." He placed a soft kiss on her lips, and untied the robe, a groan escaping him as he looked down.

"How am I supposed to function tonight knowing you're wearing this?" Logan traced the lacy edge of the bustier Veronica had chosen to give her a little cleavage that night.

"Well, I wasn't planning on you seeing it before the party. I actually had a little interlude planned for after my mom shares her 'special surprise' with everyone."

"This is going to be a long night—I think two interludes will be necessary." Logan pressed between her parted legs and held her to him, kissing her deeply. Just as things were starting to heat up, a loud bang rattled the door.

"Veronica! What did I say about locking doors?'' Aaron's voice boomed through the door.

"Aaron, I think she was changing." Veronica heard Conner call out followed by the sound of footsteps coming down the hall.

"Quick," she hissed, "Um...in my closet? Or maybe the bathroom?" Veronica looked around frantically.

Logan nodded, and instead, grabbed a garment bag and stepped out onto the balcony before quietly shutting the door behind him.

"Veronica!"

"I'm coming, just a second," she called, looking in the mirror to make sure nothing was out of place. She quickly shimmied into her dress and flushed the toilet, deciding it was the perfect cover.

She swung open the door, still reaching for the zipper on the dress. "I had to pee—you have no idea how good you guys have it. Getting back into all this stuff is the worst. Conner, can you zip me up the rest of the way?" she asked, hoping he could move into the room with her.

Aaron loomed over them, a scowl firmly on his face. "I saw the sheriff's son come in here after you. Where is he? Why did you lock the door?"

"Dad?" Veronica asked, putting every ounce of her acting training into her confused face.

"I saw him! What's his name...Landon? Landon! Get out here," Aaron yelled.

"It's Logan, and I'm right here." Logan stood in the hall looking into Veronica's room, surprise on his face.

"I saw you! You were...Locked door!" Aaron's face was red and he looked ready to burst.

"I'm sorry, sir. You must have thought I was going in Veronica's room, but I went into the guest room to get my suit. See?" Logan held up his suit jacket and indicated his untied tie. The boy was a genius; he'd hopped the railing of the balcony and gone into the room next door. Veronica breathed a sigh of relief.

"What is all this commotion?" A startled looking Lynn and Trina appeared at the door with Mac just behind them.

"Oh, just Aaron overreacting. I'm sure he was just worried about my girl stepping out on me," Conner laughed, obviously trying to break the heavy tension that now hung in the air.

"Right...right, of course. Just a little misunderstanding." Aaron patted Conner on the shoulder and glared at Logan as he left the room. "I'll expect you all downstairs for more photos in thirty minutes. And Veronica, send your friends out to the pool house. These photos are about the family."

Veronica and Conner snorted and then he quickly stepped behind Veronica to zip up her dress. "Good thing you didn't ask him to do this; I can see your sexy lingerie," Conner whispered once Lynn and Trina had moved back down the hall behind Aaron.

Wallace stepped forward, "One of you needs to explain what just happened and why Mac and I are the only ones who look surprised that your dad just went postal."

"Um…" "Long story" "Picked balcony lock"

"Stop!" Mac looked completely exasperated. "As much as I want an explanation, too, I think Veronica needs to finish getting ready. And perhaps Logan can fill Wallace and I in while you two play nice for the gossip magazine photographers."

Veronica nodded.  _Looks like that cat is completely out of the bag..._

* * *

Lilly handed the valet a large tip as he took her hand to help her from the silver Mercedes SUV. It was early, and the party hadn't started yet.  _Hell, the poker game hasn't even gotten started yet._  She adjusted her Louis Vuitton bag to the other arm so that she could hold her dress' garment bag out straight.  _No sense in chancing a wrinkle in the formal wear,_  she thought as she began walking up the steps to the Echolls mansion.

She took a deep breath, hoping that Veronica was home. It would be best if she could sneak upstairs to stow her dress away for later; she wanted to enjoy watching Logan get Weevil's money back before she got dressed to crash the Echolls big party. Crashed wasn't quite the right word. Her family had been invited, but Lilly was pretty sure that Aaron, and particularly Lynn, wouldn't want her there. No, seeing Lynn before the party began wasn't high on her list. That had been awkward enough the first time.

She didn't quite know what had possessed her to run to LA the weekend that Veronica had been drugged. That whole weekend was one she'd just as soon forget. At the time, she'd just wanted to get out...to spend some time with someone who wasn't in high school. And, since Aaron had given her his number before, they'd kept in touch. He'd been surprised to see her, but he'd allowed her in just the same.

It had felt worth it at the time. Now it just seemed...reckless and stupid. She regretted it; she genuinely liked Weevil. That wasn't to say that Aaron Echolls wasn't great in the sack, because he was. But running into the redhead while in lingerie hadn't been a highlight. And Lynn coming home the next morning had been the icing on the cake.

Now that she thought about it, coming to the Echolls' party seemed like a huge mistake. She turned to make her way back to the car just in time to see it peel out of the long driveway.

"Did you forget something?" another young valet asked her.

"Oh, no, just...my lipgloss. It's no problem; I've got more." She smiled and turned back to the door and considered her next move.  _Brazen through with your fabulous self._

Confidence regained, Lilly, strolled into the house, which was full of people putting finishing touches on the decorations. She looked around and finally spotted Logan leaning against a table talking with his little gang of groupies. Lilly put a little extra sway in her hips, in case anyone worthwhile was watching, and approached her fellow classmates.

"So when's this party getting started?"

Logan turned and gave her a strange look. "We weren't expecting you so early, Lils. And what's with the dress bag?"

Lilly reached out and straightened the collar on Logan's dress shirt. It didn't need it, but she liked how uncomfortable her touch made him. "I wanted to have time to put my things in Veronica's room. The dress is for later. Like I would miss out on this party; I want to meet all the celebrities."

"I guess that makes sense. And you should just put your dress in the bedroom of the pool house. Then you can change before walking through the party," Logan said. "In fact, it's about time for us to all head out there. We were just waiting on Conner, since he's only in a couple of these family shots that Aaron insisted on. Then Veronica will join us when she's done."

"Oh, okay." Lilly was disappointed. She wanted to see more of the house. And maybe see Aaron, even though she knew that was a bad idea.

Feeling confused and a little excited, Lilly decided to just go with the flow. Eli would be there soon, and then she'd have a way to be entertained. At least for a little while.

* * *

Veronica took a deep breath. They'd made it through the pre-party photos without further incident. They'd smiled and pretended to be happy. Veronica glanced over one of the tech's shoulders at the photos appearing on his screen. If she didn't know better, she really would think they were one big happy family.

"Well, little sister, looks like round one is complete. What's next?" Trina asked, draping her arm companionably across Veronica's shoulders.

"Next?" Veronica questioned, feeling confused.  _Since when does Trina check in with me?_

"Yeah. I mean, we finished that round of pictures. Guests won't be arriving for a while longer, and I'm not really sure what to do with myself," she said softly.

Veronica turned and really considered her sister. Since seeing their father beat the everliving shit out of Dylan, Trina had been subdued except for small moments of bravado when she had an audience.

"I'm going to head out to the pool house. The rest of the players will be arriving soon. Um...I think I saw Lilly arrive. You two would probably get along; Lilly loves Hollywood gossip, so you could tell her about going to high school with Neil Patrick Harris, or, I don't know, taking acting classes with Jared Leto," Veronica said, hoping to kill two birds with one stone.

"Oh, okay. I didn't get the feeling that your friend cared about that sort of thing," Trina said, following after Veronica.

"No, not Mac. You haven't met Lilly yet," Veronica explained as they walked into the pool house.

Veronica walked into the main room where they had set up a poker table. Mac and Conner were playing around with a deck of cards while Wallace was playing what looked like Lara Croft at the entertainment center. "Hey all! We're finally done," Veronica called out as she was swept up and spun around.

"How'd it go?" Logan asked, setting her back on the ground and tucking her into his side.

"Fine. We look like the freakin' Brady Bunch, but I think everyone will be happy with how it turned out." Veronica turned and saw Trina standing awkwardly.

"How long until everyone arrives? I got here way too early," Lilly complained as she came out of the bedroom. Veronica was getting ready to give her a hard time when she saw the look on Trina's face: surprise followed swiftly by anger.

"What is she doing here?! Veronica is this one of your friends?"

"Um...sort of. Trina, this is Lilly Kane. Have you met before?" Veronica asked, confused.

"'Met' might be too strong a word. When I came back from New York,  _she_  was in slutty lingerie prancing around the beach house with Dad."

Veronica turned to face Lilly, who looked like a deer caught in headlights. She hadn't said a word since coming into the room, her eyes riveted on Trina. Veronica looked back to Trina, and then to Lilly.

Veronica's heart started to race and she felt a little faint. "You slept with my dad?" she asked as another figure entered.

Logan's arms held her tight, anchoring her to the room. Veronica was pretty sure it was the only thing keeping her from floating away.

"Lilly? Is that true?" Weevil asked, his voice soft and pained.

Tears were leaking out of her eyes now, and Veronica wasn't sure what to do or say when Lilly finally spoke. "It wasn't like that, Eli. It was just once. It didn't mean anything. I'm sorry."

"Me too," Weevil said and turned to Veronica. "I parked my bike in the staff driveway; I hope that's okay."

"Um...yeah. That's fine," Veronica said, still feeling out of sorts. She reached for Trina's hand and realized that Logan was already holding it.

"Do you want me to take care of it?" he whispered softly.

Veronica considered his offer but decided she needed to do this herself. She'd been dancing around with Lilly since they'd met, but friends didn't sleep with each other's dad. "No, I've got this. Have the valet bring her car around to the back."

At Logan's nod, Veronica stepped away from him and directed Lilly back into the bedroom. Once inside, she firmly shut the door behind them.

"Obviously, you can't stay. But, before you leave, what were you thinking, Lilly? My dad's, well, old enough to be your dad! And I thought you were seeing Weevil."

"I made a mistake," Lilly said, squaring her shoulders, clearly not one to back down. "I knew coming here was a bad idea."

"Then why do it? Why are you here?"

"I'm Lilly Kane," she said, as if that were an answer.

"Well, Lilly Kane, get your shit; I've got enough drama to deal with tonight, and I don't need yours, too." Veronica waved her off, deciding that nothing useful would come out of discussing it further.

"I  _am_  sorry, Veronica. I had hoped we'd be friends, but I guess that's not going to happen now." Lilly shrugged and grabbed her bags.

"Not so much," Veronica confirmed and held the back door open. She indicated where Lilly's car was waiting for her.

Lilly walked past without any further explanation. Veronica waited and watched her drive away, finally turning to rejoin her friends when the door clicked open. Logan shut the door behind him and pulled Veronica to his chest.

"I'm so sorry. She...well, she's Lilly Kane."

"She said the same thing. I don't know what your dad is going to find out about what happened between her and Dick's brother, but maybe it'll lead to a readjustment of that being an excuse for her behavior," Veronica said solemnly. Her heart was a little heavy, but Lilly's behavior also resonated with her. Veronica knew all too well that unfortunate circumstances could lead a person to do things that they wouldn't normally do; reckless things like she'd seen Lilly do in the past few weeks.

"Let's go get this party started. There's nothing we can do for her right now," Logan said, kissing Veronica on the temple.

"Yeah, okay." Veronica stepped back and put on her brightest smile. "Take me to the good times, Mars."

* * *

Logan waited until the poker scene was set. All the boys were around the table and Veronica was sitting on Conner's lap, just as she had been during the first poker party. Wallace and Mac camped out on a nearby couch, popcorn in hand, obviously eager for the show to begin.

"I really  _do_  love a good reveal, don't you, Mac?" Wallace asked, throwing a piece of popcorn in the air and catching it with his mouth.

"Are you kidding? I live for this!" Mac agreed, holding out her fist for Wallace to bump. "Jelly fish," she warned, and, after their fists tapped, they both wiggled their fingers and laughed.

"You idiots are so middle school," Dick scoffed. "Now let's get this shit going. I've got another grand burning a hole in my pocket. I wouldn't want  _ese_ , here, to take it, too." Dick indicated Weevil.

"Thanks for the lead in, Dick," Logan flashed a grin. "You make a valid point. Let's start at the beginning, with the guy everyone loves to point their finger at: Weevil." Logan walked around the table to stand behind Eli. "He seems like the obvious choice...the only non-09er at the table. But his taking of collateral convinced me to look elsewhere." Logan walked the long way around the table until he stood behind Dick.

"Dick Casablancas...host extraordinaire. He's the one who hates Weevil the most, to be sure. That fact alone made him a prime suspect." Dick scoffed. "I admit that I didn't speak to him myself...Veronica did the honors." Logan turned to her and winked in acknowledgement. "And when she did, she noticed that Dick's pool house looked like a tornado had hit." Logan looked around the table dramatically. "We didn't think that Dick would bother spending time looking for money he already had, so, that brings us to….Conner!"

Conner stood up eagerly, pushing Veronica off of his lap, and gave a jaunty salute, but Logan pushed him back down. Instead of taking a seat on his lap again, Veronica crossed the space to sit between Wallace and Mac on the couch. She grabbed a handful of popcorn and looked at Logan expectantly. "Keep going!"

"Thanks for your permission," he laughed. "So where was I?"

"Me! Me!" Conner piped up excitedly. "I want to hear my intro!"

Logan rolled his eyes. "Fine,  _you_ ," Logan said to Conner and then cleared his throat. "Conner Larkin, very successful action movie star...despite a mediocre portrayal of a metrosexual last year, and the fact that his abs are painted on." Logan winked and Conner grumbled.

"Boo! Boo! Lies! All of it...lies!" Mac shouted as she threw a handful of popcorn at Logan causing everyone to laugh.

"Unfortunately, Conner's watch was worth more than the pot, so I had my doubts from the get-go. Dick pointed out that he spent more time in the bathroom than at the table that night." Weevil snickered. "But, I was informed that this was because he spent the entire night drinking Sun Tea. You know, the tea that wrestlers drink before weigh in...or actors drink before big Vanity Fair photo shoots." Conner nodded approvingly at him.

"So, that takes us to...Sean," Logan said.

"Sean! My money was on him from the start, for the record," Wallace called out.

"Sean Friedrich. Despite Wallace's early suspicions, I have to admit that I had my doubts. The guy gets dropped off by a chauffeured town car and lives in one of the nicest houses in the 09er zip. I was excited, though, at the prospect of a whole Robin Hood scenario. Maybe he was the culprit and had some good deed intended for the money. I could only hope!" Logan folded his hands and looked up at the ceiling as if praying. Then he looked back down at Sean quizzically.

"But then I paid Seannie-boy a little visit. And his dad answered the door...wearing a suit in the middle of the day. Sean isn't allowed to receive visitors at home; did you know? Well, I didn't. I was excited. A little background research told me that Sean here has some sticky fingers; he's racking up charges throughout our neighboring coastal counties. And then, it all came together. Finally I would be able to fulfill a lifelong fantasy: saying that the butler, well his son, did it! But, alas, not so much..."

"This is when things get good!" Veronica clapped.

"We only have one suspect left!" Logan said, turning to look at Duncan.

"No fuckin' way!" shouted Dick, turning to Duncan also.

Duncan looked like he was about to puke.

"So, Donut, care to confess before I tell everyone here why and how you did it?" Logan asked.

Duncan remained stoically silent, staring off into space while turning a puce shade of green.

"I'll take that as my cue to continue; if Lilly asks, I gave him a way out," Logan said to the room at large. "I have to give most of the credit to Weevil and Mac for this one, though. Weevil took Duncan's computer as collateral, and I just happen to have the West Coast's best hacker on my staff," Logan said proudly.

"West Coast, my ass." Mac scowled at him, causing Veronica and Wallace to laugh.

"We all know Duncan's been walking around like a zombie for weeks, but that doesn't exactly give him motive. As someone pointed out, Duncan's set to inherit at least half a billion; though, I admit that Jake and Celeste are pretty healthy—it could be a long wait." Logan pretended to look sad at the prospect. "But it's more tawdry than that: Billion Dollar Baby was going to leave his responsibilities behind and live off-grid. All he needed was some seed money for a used Argentinian passport and a one-way ticket to Havana via less-than-reputable transportation." Logan paused for a moment. "And, he might have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for us meddling kids," he finally quipped cheerfully.

"Team work!" Conner cheered.

"How'd he do it?" Weevil asked.

"I put it in with the recycling and waited for the maid to take it out." Duncan spoke for the first time. His voice level. "Here's what's left of the money," he said, tossing it onto the table in front of Weevil. "Sorry, man," he said to Weevil, and then grabbed his laptop from the pile of collateral by the pool house door. "Excuse me," he said to the room. And, with that, he walked out as if it were any other day.

Logan wasn't all that interested in playing poker anymore. The thrill of the reveal had now passed, and he was left with the grim reality that was their current situation. Meg was pregnant...and Duncan was going to run unless Logan did something about it.

The silence that had settled in the room was thick, and Logan didn't know quite how to proceed. He looked around the table to find that everyone looked as miserable as he did. It might have been that he'd just revealed most of their secrets.

"Well, Wallace, Mac you still need to get changed for the party. Veronica and Conner maybe now would be a good time to put in an appearance?" Logan suggested.

"Yeah. That sounds like a good idea," Veronica said rising from the couch. "The rest of you can do as you'd like," She said joining Logan and Conner at the door out of the pool house, Mac and Wallace a few steps behind her.

Logan opened the door and gestured the group out ahead of him. He gave a curt nod to the remaining poker players, "See you all a little later," and exited the room.

* * *

Logan looked around the party and finally spotted Duncan standing with Jake and Celeste. Logan quickly looked back to Veronica and waved her over. "Where can we go to talk to them privately?"

"The library. Watch where I go. I'll be waiting in there with Meg," she said before she moved to the edge of the room and disappeared down the hall.

Logan made his way across the room and approached Duncan, Jake and Celeste. "Kane family, I think there's a conversation we all need to have in a somewhat more private location," Logan said, trying to sound confident and in-charge.

"Logan Mars. I'm not sure what you're doing here, but we certainly won't be talking with you about anything at all, privately or publicly," Celeste said haughtily.

"Celeste!" Jake glared at her. "Please forgive my wife, Logan. She still…"

"Just say it, Dad. Mom's mad you had an affair with Logan's mom and thought he might be my brother. It's not like the whole town doesn't already know," Duncan said, remaining passive the entire time.

"Thanks. Donut. Believe it or not, not very many people  _do_  know about it. But, yeah, you just put it out there in a room full of people. And you might want to be more concerned with your own predicament," Logan said, keeping his voice low.

"What are you talking about, Logan?" Jake asked, his eyes drawn together in concern.

"Like I said. I think we should step out of the ballroom, or whatever this is, and speak in the library. Or if you'd like, the head of the PCH bike club can come and have a word with you, instead. Your choice." Logan grinned and winked at Weevil, who had followed them inside.

Without waiting, Logan started to make his way out of the main room and down the hall he'd watched Veronica lead Meg through. He came to a set of large double doors that stood open a crack and walked in. Veronica was holding Meg's hand by the roaring, and completely unnecessary, fire.

"Jake this is ridiculous. Clearly Logan has gotten Duncan into something he has no business being involved in. It's bad enough he knocked—" Celeste stopped short as she entered the room.

"Knocked me up? You know I'm not very happy about it either, right?" Meg said tearfully.

Logan looked to Duncan, who was standing in the doorway, seemingly uninterested. Logan took a deep breath and started explaining the events of the last few days, the conclusion of which, was telling them of Duncan's admitting to having taken the money to purchase a used passport and airline tickets.

"Why Duncan?  How?" Jake asked, he looked liked he'd aged five years in front of Logan's eyes. If it weren't for how upset Meg was, Logan might have taken pleasure in ruining Jake and Celeste's evening.

"Sometimes it’s all just too much, Dad.  And I think we both know I shouldn’t be anywhere near a baby,” Duncan glanced at Meg and shrugged.   “As for how, you'd be surprised what you can learn on Google and listening to CW's stories."

Celeste continued to glare at Logan, while Jake just shook his head in defeat.

"Meg, dear, we are sorry about all of this. And clearly Duncan is not in a place to deal with what's happening. Let's get you home and we'll work out the details with the lawyers tomorrow," Jake said gently. "Celeste, can you please take Meg and have the valet get our car?"

Celeste frowned and made a very unladylike sound but walked to the door. She stood there, tapping her foot until Meg joined her, and then they exited the library together.

The whole time Logan had spoken, Duncan had stood blank-faced, staring at the twinkling lights outside the window. Once Celeste and Meg were out of the room, Logan walked over to Duncan and waved a hand in front of his face. "Aren't you the least bit worried about making Weevil angry?" Logan asked.

"I'll give him the rest of the money back. Dad?" Duncan's eyes never left the lights.

"Yes, Son. I'll take care of it. Um...Veronica, right? Maybe you could walk Duncan out to meet Meg and my wife? I'd like a moment with Logan," Jake said.

Logan turned, surprised to see Veronica still in the room. He'd assumed that she'd left when Celeste and Meg had.

"Of course. Come on, Duncan," she said and then turned to Logan. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be out in a minute." Logan smiled softly, hoping that Jake didn't pick up on anything between himself and Veronica.

Once Veronica had left the room, Logan turned back to Jake. "What do you have to say?"

"Logan, I'm sorry about Celeste. And thank you for bringing what's going on with Duncan to our attention. I'm quite fond of Meg, and she would be very hurt if Duncan had been able to execute his idiotic plan. Not that we ever would have left her on her own, but, what I'm trying to say is, I really do appreciate it." Jake reached out a hand toward Logan's shoulder, but Logan stepped back. Jake's face dropped in clear disappointment at the rejection.

"I didn't do it for you. I did it for Meg. Like I would ever trust any of you to do the right thing," Logan said, trying to make his way out of the room.

"Please, Logan. I just wanted to ask about your mother. Is she okay? Do you know where she is?" he asked, his voice cracking.

"Why would you ask me? I haven't heard from her in two years,  _Jake_. You're the one with all the resources; you find her."

"She loves you. I do, too, Logan. I know you said that Keith—"

"Keith Mars is my father in every way. Including biologically. End of discussion. If you talk to my mother, let her know I've got a new one. Or at least I'm pretty sure I will soon. A mother who actually is there when I need her." Logan pictured Alicia Fennel.

"I'm sorry it didn't all turn out better, Logan, I really am. I only ever wanted your mother to be happy. And I want the best for you," Jake said, his years showing in his deflated posture.

"Clearly. All that concern for my family really shows. Like I said, if you talk to my mother you can tell her thanks for nothing," Logan sneered and pushed out of the room.  _It's time to find Veronica and her caring eyes; anything to get that conversation out of my mind._

Logan walked back down the hall and into the party, his eyes scanning the crowd in search of Veronica. He finally spotted her by the bar standing between Wallace and Weevil, who for the moment at least, appeared to be getting along.

* * *

By the time Mac had made it back down to the party, she wasn't sure where Wallace had gotten off to. Logan and Veronica had disappeared also. And, despite Conner's invitation, Mac hadn't felt comfortable making the rounds of the room with him. Which left Mac where she was now, nervously observing the party from the sideline. She'd gotten dressed up for Conner's premiere and had loved it, but it felt different in Neptune.  _Why did I agree to coming to this party?_ Mac whined silently. Never in a million years would she think that she'd be attending a fancy 09er Christmas party, let alone be invited by the hostess personally. Being friends with Veronica had changed things so much in such a short time. Mac was feeling a little overwhelmed by all the changes, and yet, she found herself happy. Veronica had opened her eyes to so many new things. But 09er parties still weren't something she was comfortable with, at least not yet.

"Hey, beautiful," an alluring voice said from beside her. "Fancy meeting you here," he flirted. She smiled, recognizing the owner's voice instantly, but refused to turn to look at him. "Did someone put baby in a corner?"

"Oh, Conner, you're one of only five or six people who even know me at this party, let alone care that I'm being a wallflower." She waited a moment more before she finally turned to look at him, trying to play it cool. "Have you been seen by all the right people?" She winked at him.

"Indeed, I have. I've simpered, and smirked, and made love to them all," he replied with a smirk, causing Mac to giggle.

"A Jane Austen reference? And here I thought you action movie types could only quote Schwarzenegger and Stallone," she teased, Conner's presence making her bold.

"I'm hurt, Mac." Mac dared not smile while he pretended to look affronted. "I'll have you know I can do way better than that. Have you heard all my Steve McQueen lines yet?"

"Can't say that I have," she answered. "'Never rode shotgun on a hearse before' though, either," she quoted.

She couldn't help but smile when Conner's face lit up. "And  _that_  right there is why I fit in so well in your family! How many times have they made you watch 'The Magnificent Seven'?" he asked.

"More times than I can count. It's a staple in the Mackenzie household along with anything starring Clint Eastwood, Vin Diesel...and  _you_." She laughed.

"Sometimes I really do feel like Sam and Natalie's long-lost child." He grabbed her around the shoulders and pulled her into a fraternal hug.

"You never know, you just might be," she agreed.  _At this point I could believe that anything's possible_ , she thought. He pulled her in even tighter. "Watch the hair,  _bro_!" she warned him, pulling out of his grasp.

"Conner! Come over here," Aaron's booming voice called over the crowd. Mac pulled away a little to see Aaron watching them from near the piano.

"Duty calls," Conner groaned as he let her go and took a few steps toward where Aaron was standing. He'd only gotten a few feet away though when he turned and approached her again. "Don't stay there all night; you look amazing. Take that dress out for a spin, will you? I mean, if not for you...for the dress!" He winked and then disappeared into the crowd.

She willed herself to move from the spot on the wall that she'd affixed herself to since the moment she'd covertly descended the back stairs and entered the party. With Conner's comments on her mind, she tried to tap into her inner Sinclair. A  _Sinclair wouldn't be intimidated by a crowd like this,_  she reminded herself. She'd never be like Madison, but there had to be a little part of her that would fit in in a crowd like this. Mac took a few steps farther into the room, channeling her confident inner-09er.  _Come on, Mackenzie. Be bold. Be daring. Be—_

Her internal pep talk was cut short when her third bold step into the party landed her face-to-face with Lauren Sinclair. She watched as the young brunette's face lit up when she recognized Mac.

"Hey! Mac, right? I'm Madison's sister! Were you just talking to Conner Larkin?" Mac felt a smile spreading across her face. She really had enjoyed her time with Lauren at Madison's party. It was nice to see a familiar face.

"Lauren! Of course I remember," she said genuinely, her grin now wide. "Yes, that was Conner."

"Mom! Dad! This is the girl I told you about. Madison's friend who's read all my favorite books!" Lauren said excitedly, turning to look up at the adults behind her while tugging on the man's suit sleeve.

Mac felt the blood drain from her face, but kept her grin firmly in place.  _Of course, she's not here alone, Mac. She's a kid,_  she chastised herself. Mac shifted her gaze up in the direction that Lauren had turned, and found herself looking up at her biological parents for the first time since elementary school. She noticed the exact moment that Charles and Ellen Sinclair registered who she was. She didn't know what she had expected their reaction to be, but what she did see there shocked her. It wasn't discomfort or unease, it was something Mac interpreted as...regret.

_Huh_ , she thought, momentarily perplexed. Oddly, she seemed to recover her voice the quickest of any of them. "Hi," she said. "I mean hello."

Charles snapped out of the trance next. "Hello! Mac is it now?" he asked kindly.

"Yes, well at least that's what my friends call me," she replied. "Not Cindy anymore."

"It suits you," Ellen said, entering the conversation for the first time with a warm smile. "I didn't know the girl Lauren had told us about was you. I'm so happy that you two met and…" The older woman trailed off. Mac saw that her eyes looked a little glossy.

"I hadn't planned...I never wanted to...am I making you uncomfortable?" Mac asked, nervously forging ahead. "I mean, that I know about...everything," she fumbled. She hadn't planned a speech or even to see them tonight, but she found herself glad that she had—glad that they knew that she knew.

"Lauren, would you mind grabbing a glass of punch for yourself and Mac?" Ellen asked her youngest daughter quickly. Lauren nodded and left on her task without a word.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything…" Mac worried aloud.

"No," Charles and Ellen said in chorus. Ellen reached out as if to place a hand on Mac's arm, but then she seemed to think the better of it.

"It's not that at all. We'd just prefer not to tell Lauren everything in a formal setting with hundreds of onlookers," Ellen hastened to clarify. "I've always dreamed of you two meeting." Ellen rummaged in her purse for a moment, pulled out a tissue and used it to dab her eyes. "I guess Sam and Natalie told you?"

"No, they didn't. I figured it out on my own," Mac explained. "I found out...well, I always knew something was wrong and did a little digging." She looked up to see concern on Charles and Ellen's faces. "Oh no, nothing  _wrong_  per se, just...off. My parents...erm…I don't know what to call anyone."

"It's okay, dear," Ellen said soothingly. "They'll always be your parents."

"My parents are great; I just always felt a little out of place, I guess, is all," she finished lamely.

"We've always felt that way, too. We love Madison, but we've always felt like something's been missing," Charles added hoarsely. "We've always felt that  _you_  were missing."

At his sincere tone, it was Mac's turn to fight back tears. "That's nice to hear, actually. I...well, I don't know what to say."

Ellen smiled sympathetically. "I don't think there is ever a right thing to say in these circumstances."

Lauren returned at that moment and passed a glass of punch to Mac before taking a sip from her own. "What did I miss?" she asked, happily oblivious.

"Nothing, dear. We were just getting to know your friend Mac a little better," Charles answered, pulling Lauren into his side in a hug.

"Can you come over some time, Mac? We like the same books. Maybe you know more that I'd like. And I'd love to talk to someone about them," Lauren beamed and then looked embarrassed. "I know you probably don't want to hang out with a dorky kid...I know Madison doesn't...but we could just email or something." She glanced up at Mac, her face full of hope.

"That would be lovely. Maybe you could come over for lunch during winter break, Mac," Ellen suggested.

"Or dinner! I'd like to be home, too...I mean, to get to know you better," Charles added.

"I'd like that, too," Mac smiled at the Sinclairs...her biological family, very happy that she'd decided to attend the party, afterall.

* * *

Veronica had made a quick round of the party when she'd been looking for Meg after the poker reveal. She'd played the gracious hostess and made a few short greetings before excusing herself with Meg to the Library. Then after leaving Logan with Jake Kane, Veronica found herself making yet another brief round, trying to greet people she hadn't already seen that night. It took a long time, and she found herself starting to feel hungry. The poker game must have ended already—or whatever they'd all been doing while she and Logan dealt with Duncan— because she saw Weevil, Sean and Dick near Wallace milling about at the buffet tables. Her hunger won out over her general dislike of Sean and Dick, though only because Wallace and Weevil were there as well.

"Is the game over, or did you all just come in here in your Sunday best to impress me?" Veronica snarked.

"Nothing's over yet!" Dick said around his mouthful of hors d'oeuvres.

"We decided to take a little break to let the cosmos realign," Sean spoke.

"I don't know what that means," she admitted wryly.

"It  _means_  that Weevil's winning," Wallace translated.

" _Again_  and without even playing the whole time," Weevil added with a cocky grin. "And I resent the implication that my attire isn't up to snuff," he snarked. "I'm wearing all black, just like the rest of these fools, so I should blend in." He took a step back into the crowd and smiled. "Where's Weevil?" he joked.

"Excellent blending," she teased, patting him on the shoulder as she made her way back into the main room. When she saw her parents speaking to Richard and Sadie Casablancas, she immediately joined them, knowing it was expected of her.

"Veronica, there you are!" her mother said joyfully. "Sadie was just telling me about a lovely winery outside of Ojai. Doesn't that sound perfect?"

"Divine," Veronica cooed, embracing her mother. "We simply  _must_  go!"

"Great. Next fall we'll all go for the crush," Aaron added excitedly, wrapping his arm around Veronica.

"You won't regret it. It's ninety miles away, but it'll feel like a whole new world out there," Big Dick interjected.

Veronica's skin crawled. Thanks to years of practice, she forced herself to relax in Aaron's embrace, but it wasn't easy.

"Trina, come over here," Aaron called out, his voice friendly. When Trina arrived, Aaron tucked her under his other arm, holding his daughters as any devoted father would do.

Veronica shot a look across the room to where Logan stood. He was watching her intently and looked like he was ready to forcibly remove her from Aaron's clutches. She smiled in an attempt to reassure him, but Logan's only response was to turn and whisper something to Conner. Conner immediately turned and she watched him assess the situation.  _Not yet, boys. This is the home stretch_ , she pleaded with her eyes.

Conner, it seemed, didn't receive her telepathic message any better than Logan had, because he smiled tightly and walked directly to her with Logan on his heels.

Luckily, her mother saved the day. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, Sadie, Dick..." Lynn smiled as she nodded to a server. All at once, the wait staff approached the piano and collected all of the hand bells that were stacked neatly there.

"Veronica," Lynn said brightly, "will you please get everyone's attention?" Lynn indicated the one remaining bell on the piano with another quick nod. Veronica tried to slide out of Aaron's grasp to take the bell in her hand and ring it, but he held on firmly. Lynn's smile never faltered as she handed Veronica the last bell. Veronica managed to keep a hundred-watt smile on her face as she rang the bell loudly enough that it could be heard over the din. The volume of the bell seemed to slacken Aaron's grasp, and with perfect timing Conner walked up to her side. Veronica took advantage and stepped out of Aaron's loosened hold and into Conner's. Logan followed suit, taking Trina's arm when she shrugged out of Aaron's grasp as well.

Left standing alone, Aaron took his place next to Lynn. Veronica knew they were the picture of perfect familial love and devotion.

"Thank you, darling," Lynn said to Veronica once she had all the guests' attention. "I'm so thrilled that all of you are here sharing this wonderful holiday with us. If you could just follow the Santas outside, I have a special surprise for you!" Lynn said excitedly, clasping her hands in front of her chest.

The wait staff began to ring their bells over their head and crossed the room, leading the crowd out of the front doors where a winter wonderland scene was unfolding, complete with movie-set snow blowing from the sides over the porch. Veronica actually smiled at the sight of the carolers in their Victorian-era costumes. Standing next to the singers was her mother's beautifully groomed white alpaca wearing a santa hat of his own.

_**Here we come a'wassailing among the leaves so green** _

"Brr," she heard Aaron's voice behind her. "I'm going to go get my coat." He spun and returned to the house.

_Gee thanks, Aaron. I'm not standing out here freezing in my sleeveless dress or anything._  She rolled her eyes, but then realized that she was happy to see him go.

_**Here we come a'wandering so fair to be seen.** _

She cuddled into Conner. It really was a beautiful scene if you could look past how artificial it all was.

_**Love and joy come to you and to you your wassail too.** _

She looked over to Logan, who was still holding Trina's arm and smiled down at her. "Wow, you really do have an alpaca!" He laughed, incredulous.

"Oh, you haven't met Bob yet?" Conner grinned at him.

Veronica just smiled, "Told ya," she said.

_**And God bless you and send you a happy new year.** _

"Where is your father? The photographers wanted to get this shot specifically." Lynn spun back to the house. Veronica could tell that her mother was flustered, despite remaining outwardly calm.

_**And God send you a happy new year.** _

"Aaron, what's going on in there?" she called through gritted teeth.

* * *

Logan turned his head to look back into the house past where Lynn had stopped. Aaron was standing by the piano, a dark haired woman yelling at him. Logan reached out and tapped Conner's shoulder, "What's going on?"

Conner turned and brought Veronica with him.

"You don't even care, do you?" the woman yelled. Logan looked her over; she was dressed like the wait staff.

"I'm sorry?" Aaron said feigning confusion, but Logan got the feeling that Aaron recognized the woman.

Logan strode forward to follow Lynn toward the confrontation.

The woman took a step closer to Aaron, her hand moving to her pocket, the whites of her eyes stood out in the low lighting of the room. "You slept with me—you said you loved me!"

Aaron took a step back, bumping into the piano. "Lynn, I don't know who this person is, I swear." Logan saw his dad out of the corner of his eye. "I don't know you!" Aaron yelled, trying to slide along the length of the piano to get away from the deranged woman.

Logan watched as if it were happening in slow motion as the woman pulled out an ice pick just as his father and Deputy Leo grabbed her arms, restraining her. The ice pick clattered to the ground.

Small hands gripped Logan's, "What's happening?" Veronica asked, her voice barely audible over the carolers and the yelling as the deputies cuffed the woman. Logan turned to look at her and saw her face full of fear and confusion.

Keith approached them, a little out of breath, "It's okay, kids. We found the stalker. Though that was a lot closer call than I'd expected tonight. You should all head back out to the party. We've got her, and everything is going to be just fine."

Logan pulled Veronica into him for a moment, not caring about who might see. He let her cling to him and felt himself clinging to her as well. "That woman was in our house. She tried to kill him," Veronica panted out, her body heaving. Logan could feel her pulse racing.

"It's okay. They got her. It's okay," he said into her ear and then felt Conner's arms come around them both.

"Maybe we should take her out to the pool house?" Conner said his voice low.

"Yeah, let's get out of here; they're taking pictures," Logan agreed. He stepped back, pulled off his jacket and carefully wrapped it around Veronica as Conner led them away from all the commotion.

They'd made it all the way to the kitchen, and were about to go out the back door, when Logan saw two shadows. He shifted Veronica behind him. "Conner, wait!"

"Yeah, Conner, wait," a voice called from the shadows of the kitchen. "It would be a shame if you didn't get to see the big reveal."

Logan felt Veronica shift from behind him. He knew the moment that she recognized the woman struggling in the shadows. Logan tried to hold Veronica back, but she was faster than he was in that moment and she surged forward, yelling, "Trina!"

"Uh-uhn! Veronica. You just stay over there with your friends. In fact, I think you should call down the hall for Mommy and Daddy. Say anything else, and your sister is dead. Understood?"

"Yes," she said softly. Logan shifted their positions again so that he was between Veronica and danger. He tensed up again when the figure stepped out from the shadows and he could finally put a name to the voice: Dylan Goran.

"Dylan, what are you doing? The house is full of cops; let Trina come over here to us and you can just leave. Okay, man?" Logan offered, trying to keep a level head.

Veronica had stepped into the hall and Logan wished with his entire being that she would run now that she was out of Goran's sight, but he knew better. Veronica called out, "Mom! Dad! Can you come here?" and stepped back to Logan's side.

"Good girl. Now stay over there with both of your boyfriends. You're a bigger slut than your sister."

Logan clenched his fists and saw Conner start to step forward and quickly held out his arm to stop him. The lunatic in front of them had a gun; this was so not the time to try to take the guy out.

Lynn walked through the doorway first and gasped. Logan quickly reached out for her and pulled her behind himself and Conner with Veronica. To Logan's surprise, Goran didn't seem to care; his eyes never left the doorway.

"You know, I'm kind of in the middle of something, Veronica, and we're going to talk about your manners after everyone has—what the hell is this?" Aaron sneered as he came into the room. "You stupid punk, what the fuck do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm the one in control here. I'm the one with the power. Now it's time for a real negotiation. Your daughter for my film," Goran said, waving the gun.

Logan's eyes never left the gun, and he kept a sense of where Veronica and Lynn were the whole time. There was no way was he letting this psycho get near them.

"Sure, Dylan, let's talk. First, no. Second, fuck you. And Third—" Aaron let out a battle cry and charged at Goran.

The sound of the gun going off was deafening in the enclosed space; Logan turned and tackled Veronica to the floor as Conner did the same to Lynn.

One gunshot was followed by more than Logan could count and then screams.

"Logan!" a familiar voice called. "Logan, get Veronica off the floor. Come on, the paramedics are on their way!" Keith yelled, but Logan felt like he was underwater the words barely registering. He looked down at Veronica and held out his hand to help her up.

She took his hand and gripped it with more strength than he'd thought she had. He followed his father toward the doorway that would lead them away but was stopped abruptly by the realization that Veronica was no longer moving. Logan turned to face her, her eyes were wide with terror, tears streaming down her face and lips trembling. Logan followed her gaze to Aaron Echolls on the marble kitchen floor, a widening pool of blood surrounding him.

_This is Neptune. Lights and tinsel just cover what's really underneath. Corruption, sordidness, evil. But sometimes, if you're vigilant, if you're honorable...happy endings are possible. Yes Logan, maybe there is a Santa Claus._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one chapter left!!


	12. On the twelfth day of Christmas, KMD and Bondo gave to me...twelve cute Vignettes to wrap up this story properly

**Chapter 12: On the twelfth day of Christmas, KMD and Bondo gave to me...twelve cute Vignettes to wrap up this story properly**

* * *

**December 2005, Senior Year**

Conner paced nervously backstage. This was the first real interview he'd given this year. It had been a while since he'd done live TV, usually opting for magazines and printed media where he could think before he had to answer. After the media had gone crazy last winter, he'd tried to lay low.

His phone binged and he pulled it out of his pocket.

 **Veronica** : 'Don't let her walk all over you! Keep your shirt on and you'll do great! Love you and can't wait to see you soon.'

He smiled, but before he was able to send a reply, he heard a quick rap on his door, and then a woman with a headset popped her head in. "We're ready for you, Mr. Larkin," she smiled, gesturing for him to follow.

Conner switched the phone to silent and pocketed it as he followed the woman out of the green room. He heard Ellen's voice from the stage as well as over the speakers of various TVs around the studio.

"I have a special guest for you today. Conner Larkin's joining us in the studio. Let's bring him out."

 _Showtime._ Conner plastered a smile across his face and stepped out onto the set. The crowd went wild and he smiled, waved and mouthed 'thank you!' to them as he made his way to Ellen. Her arms were outstretched, and he walked right into them. "It's great to have you here!" she said adoringly.

"It's great to be here. Thanks for having me." Ellen had instantly put him at ease when he'd entered the studio earlier, and she was settling his nerves again now.

"Here he is, ladies and gentleman…fresh off the success of his latest hit, _High Caliber Holiday_." The crowd cheered again. She then turned back to Conner, "Conner. It's been quite a year. Tell us how you're doing."

"Great, actually. Really, really well. It's been a crazy year, and I'm just happy to see the movie doing so well in the theaters. Now I can breathe a little bit as Christmas approaches. Maybe even relax."

"It was a great movie. You've earned a few weeks of rest and relaxation, I think."

The crowd roared its agreement.

"Thank you! I appreciate that. I feel like the past year has just flown by in a whirlwind, so I'm looking forward to going home for the holidays."

"Back to Kansas, right?" Ellen asked.

"That's right," he confirmed, knowing the media loved his whole 'corn-fed, all-American' background. He braced himself for what he knew would come next.

"So tell us a little bit about this year. I know the media was all over you for a while. You dealt with the death of a co-star and friend, Aaron Echolls; what was that like?"

"It was a shock, Ellen, as you can imagine. To watch him die at the hands of a crazed producer was…well, horrifying. I'd starred with Aaron before, and knew him personally very well. He was adored by so many. Honestly, at the time, I was just trying to be a support to Veronica and her family."

The crowd cheered at the mention of Veronica's name.

"Yes, I was just getting to her," Ellen said.

"Oh, I just bet you were," Conner laughed. _At least we're off of the Aaron topic._

"Early this year, you went through a very public break up. And, might I add, you stayed classy throughout the entire thing. I mean, _both_ of you did. Nothing but praise for each other," Ellen commended.

The audience clapped, and Conner couldn't help but smile at them gratefully. "I appreciate your saying that, but that was the easy part. All the media speculation and hype was hard on us both. But, despite what the tabloids say, we're still close…she is and always will be one of my best friends." _She's not going to let this go so easily,_ Conner surmised.

"All celebrities say that when they break up. But we haven't seen too many pictures of you with her lately."

 _Ah, there it is._ "Aw, you're digging, Ellen. Trying to get me to admit to something? Maybe a broken heart?" _Joke your way through, Larkin._

"I wouldn't dream of it. I'm just having an intimate conversation with you…and, like, three million other people," she joked, looking into the camera. "No one would dare breathe word of what you say here," she said facetiously.

 _Yeah, I'll just bet they won't._ "Well, sorry to disappoint, but you won't get anything juicy out of me regarding Veronica," Conner said truthfully.

"So you're sticking to the story – an amicable break-up? What a letdown," she lamented, smiling.

"Veronica actually texted me right before I came out here, Ellen. She warned me not to let you convince me to take my shirt off and to wish me luck."

"Well, wasn't that sweet of her? She's finishing up high school this year?"

"Yes she is, so I haven't seen her in a while. We shot most of the film this past summer and fall in Vancouver, and since then, I've been going to premieres in London and Toronto…even Sydney, so it's nice to be back in LA again. I haven't seen her except for a quick trip at Halloween, so I look forward to seeing her soon."

"Well, I sure hope you weren't lying about being amicable, because I jumped the gun." Ellen turned and looked off stage right and yelled, "Veronica, come on out here!"

"No way!" Conner immediately stood up, unable to stay seated at the prospect of seeing her. Seconds later, Veronica emerged. She got to the edge of Ellen's chair and broke out into a run. He caught her in his arms and spun her around once, holding her tight. "I love you," he whispered into her ear.

"I love you, too," she whispered back. The crowd was cheering and Ellen was clearly pleased.

"Do you two need a minute? Should I go to break?" she joked to the camera again.

"No, no," Veronica spoke up, turning to greet Ellen, "So sorry, it's just been a while." Veronica wiped her eyes as she stepped forward to hug the hostess.

"Wow, Conner didn't lie; I guess you guys are more than amicable," Ellen said, taking a seat and gesturing for Veronica to do the same. "Which just makes me love him more."

Veronica smiled up at the camera, "Well, it's Conner Larkin," she gestured to Conner and looked him up and down. "What's not to love?" Veronica exaggeratingly fanned herself as if she were close to fainting. Conner rolled his eyes theatrically and pulled her closer and kissed her cheek.

"So Veronica, you threw over our boy Conner, here, for some small town boy, I hear?" Ellen prompted.

"Well, it wasn't as simple as that, but yes, I'm dating someone from Neptune now," Veronica said carefully. Conner knew how she hated the attention. He couldn't wait to see how she would deflect back to him. They used to do this all the time to calm each other down during joint interviews. "But now my boyfriend and Conner have a whole bromance thing going. I swear that when I'm in the room I'm the third wheel." Veronica took a moment to look jealous. "And it's not just them, it's my boyfriend's friends and their families. In fact…" Veronica paused and turned to look at him slyly. She squeezed his hand and he raised his eyebrows in challenge. "I brought pictures," Veronica stated. "I mean, if anyone wants to see them."

"Well, I've already seen them, so let's share them with everyone else, shall we?" Ellen snickered and the crowd went wild.

"Oh, I think we should," Veronica teased. "They're worth seeing. That is, if people want to see the _real_ Conner Larkin."

"Bring it on, Echolls," Conner dared, turning to look at the gigantic screen behind where they sat.

A picture flashed across the screen that showed them dressed up on Halloween. Veronica was dressed up as Alice in Wonderland and was surrounded by her friends. Logan was the Mad Hatter, Conner and Wallace were Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, and Mac was a giant white rabbit. The audience loved it. "Here he is out Trick-or-Treating in Neptune. It was a blast, no one recognized him."

Conner laughed. "Aw, we're soo cute!" he said, jokingly, like a teenage girl.

Veronica motioned for production to swap out the picture. "And here's another one of him randomly in my friend's family's Christmas card," she said.

"Oh, wow, I hadn't seen this one yet!" Conner laughed and smiled at the image of himself standing in the Mackenzie's backyard with his arm around Mac. Ryan was peeking around from where Conner held him on his back, and Sam and Natalie were beaming for the camera on either side of the kids.

"What's the story here? How did you end up in Veronica's friend's Christmas card?" Ellen laughed, appearing confused.

"They just kind of adopted me, I swear," Conner said, laughing. He turned to the camera and said, "Hi, Mackenzies!"

"But you see my point, right, Ellen? Conner has hijacked my boyfriend and my friends. I just can't quit him!" Veronica clearly was doing her best to look annoyed, but Conner knew everyone saw her as adorable, just like he did.

"That's how it is with Conner Larkin. Women love him and men want to be him. Now that I've seen him in person, I understand." Then Ellen turned serious again. "So what's coming up next for you, Conner? You're a hot single guy. Now that you've stolen all your ex's new friends, what can we expect from you?" Ellen asked.

Conner smiled at that. "I have a few projects coming up that I can't talk about _just yet._ But, you'll be the first to know when I can share. And that will be keeping me busy."

"I'm sure it will. Let's hear it again for Conner Larkin, everyone. Let's take a break so I can touch his abs in private," she joked as Conner kissed Veronica's temple as the show went to break.

* * *

**December 25, 2005**

"Well, you can call me selfish, but I'm so glad that we're all here together," Keith Mars said, reaching over to pull his and Alicia's joined hands up to his mouth so that he could kiss hers. "It means so much to have everyone important to me here this holiday season." He looked pointedly at Veronica as he spoke the last part, knowing how important it was to both her and Logan that he accept her. "So, anyone have any exciting holiday news?" Keith asked the group.

"I heard Madison's coming back to school after break," Wallace announced. "I guess one year in Vermont was enough. Wow, Sam and Natalie really dodged that bullet."

"Wallace!" Alicia gasped. "That's a terrible thing to say."

"I'm just saying what everyone else is thinking," he insisted.

"Just don't say it in front of the Mackenzies," Logan warned. "They're coming over for dessert in a little while."

"Conner's back in Topeka," Veronica said cheerfully. "I'm so happy he got a few weeks off to spend with his mom."

"I wish your mom could have made it, Veronica," Keith said, earning him a glare and kick from Logan. He immediately regretted his words.

"It's okay," Veronica insisted. "It's just been a rough year for her. I don't think she knows who she is anymore. Her persona was so dependant on Aaron for so long...well, I think this stint at Betty Ford is going to make all the difference." She was acting tough, but Keith always sensed a great sadness in Veronica when it came to her mother. "Can you pass the peas, please," Veronica asked Darrell, obviously trying to change the subject.

Keith's heart jumped into his throat. "I hope she finds what she needs there," he finished lamely.

Darrell did pass the peas, but Veronica didn't reach out for them. Keith watched her eyes get glassy and then she shook her head and smiled. "You know what? I think I forgot to wash my hands. I'll be right back," Veronica said, slipping out of her chair and heading to the back of the house.

"Nice going, Dad," Logan hissed, moving to go after her.

"I know. You stay there. I'll take care of it." Keith placed a hand on his son's shoulder and then left the table.

"Be nice," Alicia warned and he rolled his eyes. _Why does everyone think I'm going to be mean to Veronica Echolls? I mean, sure, we had a rough start, but...okay, maybe I see their point._

Keith found Veronica in Logan's room. She was facing away from the door, but obviously dabbing her eyes with a tissue. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking," he said quickly. He cringed when she jumped a little and whirled around, her hand to her chest in surprise.

"It's okay, really," she said after a moment, her breath still a little unsteady.

"No, Veronica, it's not. I thought maybe my bringing her up would help you understand that it's okay to talk about her. I thought...well, I thought that maybe you'd see it as my way of telling you that it was okay to miss her." He stopped talking and sat down on the edge of Logan's bed and was surprised when Veronica sat down next to him.

"Thank you. It's just...hard. I mean for the past few years my mom's Christmas gift to me was taking Aaron away somewhere. Now...well, you know."

Keith carefully put his arm around her shoulders. "I shouldn't have brought her up, I—"

"No, I'm glad you did. Really. She's my mom; I don't want to pretend she doesn't exist," Veronica said, sinking into his side a little. He could tell she'd started to cry again.

Keith realized at that moment how much she must need this. Contact. Clearly, she and his son had a problem with keeping their hands off of each other, but Veronica probably had very little in the way of parental affection. He adjusted a little bit so that she rested under his chin, as he'd seen Logan do so often. He chuckled, "You know, you fit here a lot better than Logan does." He squeezed her a little bit. "I'm sorry we got off to such a rough start last year, but you have to know how much I've come to...Alicia and I have _both_ come to...consider you part of the family. No matter what happens with you and Logan—and I'm not saying anything's going to happen—you'll always be welcome here for any holidays you'd like. We love having you."

Veronica sat up at that and looked into his eyes, now letting the tears stream down her cheeks. "You have no idea how much that means to me. Your house and Alicia's are the first places I've ever spent time that feel like a real...home. I can't even tell you how much it means to me to be staying with her while my mom is...away. And even most of the time that she's in town, too. I never realized how alone I used to be—how alone I preferred to be." Keith found himself choking up, too, so he just nodded in response. "I never blamed you for the rough start. What else _could_ you have thought when no one was telling you anything. I was scared."

"You shouldn't have needed to be scared. You should have been busy being a kid and doing kid stuff. Getting into trouble—" Keith began.

"Oh, I think I'm pretty good at getting into trouble," she laughed darkly.

"Well, I meant kid-type trouble," he amended.

"I knew what you meant," she replied.

"I was wondering if you could help me with something, Veronica. I need a woman's opinion." Keith knew that his cheeks were turning pink. "I want to propose to Alicia, and—"

Veronica cut him off. "Really? Tonight?" He saw a twinkle.

"Well, tonight or New Year's Eve...depending on whether I should propose with a ring or not," Keith began.

"You should propose with a ring!" Veronica was adamant.

"I know, but we're older now. Maybe she'd like to pick out her own jewelry. I don't know—"

"I'll help you! If there's one thing I know, it's jewelry!" Veronica's eyes filled with tears again, and Keith shook his head. _Damn emotional teenagers._ _What did I get myself into?_

"We'll pick a day to go shopping this week," Keith smiled and then noticed the tears on her cheeks again. "Honey, I'm afraid we can't go back to the table looking like you do right now." Keith got off of the bed, pulled another tissue from the box and handed it to her. "Logan and Alicia would tear me apart."

"You can go first. I'll join you when I've pulled myself together," she offered.

"No way, you can't send me back there to the wolves!" he joked, moving to stand in the doorway to wait for her. He watched as she blew her nose and dabbed her eyes one more time. He'd known for a while what Logan saw in her, but her strength of character still amazed him in that moment. "You'll have to be patient with me, Veronica. I don't know how to talk to...well, a daughter. As you can see, I'm lacking in that department."

Keith was embarrassed when her eyes filled up with tears again. Veronica walked up to him and slipped her arms around him for one more squeeze and then pulled away and smiled. "Don't make me cry again, Sheriff," she said warningly and then kissed his cheek. Veronica smiled up at him and then turned and stepped into the hall. "Come on, let's go show Alicia and Logan that you didn't upset me. And, Keith, I think of you all as my family, too."

* * *

**June 2006**

Mac and Wallace dragged Logan and Veronica aside for another round of cap and gown photos before they had to make their way into auditorium. She handed her camera to Conner and he began to snap away. After a few shots, Conner looked at the camera in disgust.

"I don't like your backdrop," he said, turning the camera so that the group could see the screen.

They all looked up at the building and the words 'SINCLAIR FAMILY AUDITORIUM', and then looked down at the camera with a groan.

"I didn't realize that you could see the words in the background," Mac lamented.

"I can't believe that they let Madison graduate at all, let alone named a building after her," Conner scoffed.

"Well, I don't think those things happened in that _exact_ order," Wallace laughed and then Logan joined in.

"Well, in the school's defense, they had to name it _something_ since the Kanes are laying low after the whole 'Duncan goes to Andover after trying to run away to Cuba' incident," Veronica said matter-of-factly. "For once, the Sinclairs were able to give the most money to a school cause."

"I can't believe you're accusing our school of taking bribes in exchange for a diploma! You don't think the boarding school in Vermont had the same academic standards as our fine institution?" Logan asked innocently.

"Well, don't blame me; you didn't see _me_ at a 'Madison Sinclair Graduates!' rally down at the district office," Veronica submitted, her hands coming up in surrender.

"Funny, I think the rest of the school forgot to show up at the rally, too," Logan quipped, making them all laugh.

"Let's move elsewhere. How about the quad? Or Veronica can photoshop them later," Mac said hopefully.

"I'm sure our parents will take a million pictures after the ceremony," Wallace said comfortingly. "We'll just wait and see what they want."

Just then Dick ran up to their group and said, "I'm totally going commando right now" before running away, hooting.

"I can't believe this is the end," Mac said wistfully.

"How can you be nostalgic already? You hate Dick," Wallace protested.

"It's not Dick...it's everything," she sighed. "It's us! I feel like things will be different now. We'll all head off to different schools. The lovebirds are going back East. Conner will be off shooting some sexy scenes with some hot up-and-comer. It's the beginning of the end."

"I guess me going to USC, which is a mere fifteen miles down the road from CalTech is going unnoticed, then?" Wallace asked, clearly offended.

"It's not the same as seeing you every day," she pressed.

"Well, maybe not, but..." Logan let the sentence trail and looked to Veronica. "I think it's time we told them."

"Okay, if Logan insists." Veronica looked around the group, taking her time.

"Spill already, Echolls," Conner urged.

"Fine!" she relented. "Logan and I decided to go to UCLA after all." She smiled hugely as identical squeals erupted from Mac and Conner.

Wallace grinned, too. "It'll be nice to have you so close, Brother," he said. "And now no one has any excuses for not attending all of my home games." He threw the group a warning look.

"We wouldn't miss them for the world!" Veronica said, pushing Conner and Mac off of her to hug Wallace. "Though we _may_ be cheering for the other team!" she chuckled.

"Oh, I see how it is." Wallace shook his head.

An announcement over the loudspeaker told them it was time to line up at the door of auditorium for their entrance processional. Conner immediately excused himself and ran into the gym to find Keith, Alicia, Darrell, and the Mackenzies.

Logan moved to straighten Veronica's cap on her forehead. "Gotta make sure everything is perfect for People magazine," he joked. "There!" He stepped back to admire his handiwork.

"You know that things will be even crazier media-wise in LA," she warned him. "Are we sure about turning down Princeton?"

"I think so. I like the idea of being closer to home, and, if we live together, the hype will die down quickly. We're boring now."

"Yes we are, and that's just the way I like us," she said, pressing up to her tiptoes to kiss him lightly on the lips.

"Let's do this, Echolls; let's go graduate. I, for one, am ready to move on to new and exciting things," he said, bending down to kiss her back, "together."

"Together," she agreed, taking him by the hand and leading him to his place in line.

* * *

**Spring 2008, Sophomore year of college**

"Logan. I did it!" Veronica called out. She dropped her bag on the floor near the front door of their apartment and plopped down on the couch next to him.

"You did what?" he asked distractedly, his nose still in his text book.

"I declared a major," Veronica said brightly. That got his attention.

"Did you, now? And what did you finally decide on? Biochemistry? Textiles and design? No, no, you're favorite: Human Sexuality!"

"Perv. No, I submitted my portfolio to the Film and Television program."

"Really? Why didn't you tell me?" Logan asked, setting down his Violence in Early Adolescence book, which bore Veronica's signature.

"It's really competitive, and I wasn't sure I'd get in. But they interviewed me and I got my letter today. I got in."

"What about Communication? I thought you'd decided on that," he pressed.

"Right…so I'm still doing that, too. I'm going to double major." She smiled, contentment present in her features.

"Geeze, Echolls, you're ruining my reputation as the overachiever here."

"Yeah," she teased. "All your upper division Psych and Ethics classes look like a total cakewalk," she teased. "You were practically a Sophomore in college before you graduated from high school." He just shrugged. "But we'll still have lots of Comm classes together…" she said excitedly. "Unless you're giving up pre-law for, say, Underwater Basket Weaving."

"Yeah, not so much." He shook his head and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her onto his lap. "So, double major, eh? It could have its perks. You know much I like to _watch_ you study." He growled into her ear playfully.

Veronica giggled as he kissed her neck, but then stopped him. "You know, I always worried that I'd be forced to do something in the Industry; it took me a while to get to a place where I knew it was my own choice, you know? Like, to sort out that, while I wasn't doing it for him, I couldn't _not_ do it to spite him." She sighed and snuggled deeper into Logan.

"I understand," he said knowingly, kissing her lightly on the nose.

"Besides, what I want to do is totally different. After I took that class on documentary filmmaking, I was hooked," she added, her eyes sparkling.

"As long as you mix in some happy ones every now and again," Logan moaned.

"Hey, you loved Jesus Camp," she protested.

"That was _no_ documentary; _that_ was a horror film," he said with a shudder. "So, did you tell Conner, yet?"

She shook her head, "Nope. I wanted you to be the first to know. But I know he'll be thrilled."

"Of course he will. Go call him while I order takeout," he said, pushing her off of his lap and smacking her on the ass gently as he pulled out his phone. "And then, later, I'll 'watch' you study." He winked.

Veronica laughed as she dug the phone out of her purse and dialed Conner's number. "Oh, I just bet you will."

* * *

**December 3, 2009, Senior year of college**

"Logan, why are we here?"

"It's our anniversary and I wanted to bring you somewhere special." He smirked, pulling her farther down the path away from the parking lot.

"I think pre-law has finally gotten to you. It's December 3rd, Logan. And when you thought 'special', our fair alma mater was the first thing that sprung to mind? Not Avalon or Conner's pool house…or, say, anything else even slightly… _special_? Neptune High School topped the list, huh?" She laughed at him. "I guess I should just be happy that, after all this time, you're still unpredictable."

"Oh, ye of little romanticism," Logan joked.

"I think you're romantic enough for the both of us." Veronica smiled and pulled him down for a kiss. "Okay, I'll bite. Tell me, Don Juan, why exactly are we at Neptune High School on a random day in December?"

"Turn around," he whispered majestically. She did so, pulling out of his arms and viewing the campus before her. "What do you see?" he asked.

"Hmmm…I see the replacement flag pole that Clemmons had installed after Weevil and Dick played their little prank." She laughed. "I still don't get it."

"This, my dear," Logan whispered into her ear, "is where we first met. On this very spot, near a flagpole that was remarkably similar to this one, a mere five years ago."

"Is that so?" She smiled. _Romanticism has its perks, she mused._ Veronica turned to him, a huge grin across her face until she realized that he was kneeling down in front of her, holding a beautiful, vintage filigree diamond ring out to her between his thumb and forefinger. _No way!_

"Veronica Echolls, ever since that day, five years ago, I haven't been able to take my eyes off of you. I didn't know what it meant at the time, but I know what it means now. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. We had a rough start—I know those first few years were tough. But we got through it...together. Now, with all that behind us...with all the ruined lives and bloodshed of our past, I am ready to move forward with you. I want us to follow our dreams together, wherever they may lead us. I want you beside me through all of life's twists and turns. I want it all: epic adventures to faraway continents, and years of lazy Saturday mornings just lying together in bed."

Veronica was speechless. They'd been living together for a while, and of course, had discussed the possibility of marriage, but the idea still scared her a little bit. Luckily, the idea of being with Logan did not scare her in the least.

"Did I hear a question somewhere in there?" she teased, tearing up despite herself.

"I guess you didn't, now did you?" He laughed slightly, appearing nervous but confident. "Veronica Echolls, will you marry me?"

"Yes. Yes, Logan Mars, I will marry you," she whispered and bent over to kiss him long and hard. "I love you," she said against his mouth.

"I love you, too," he whispered back, pulling away to slide the ring onto her finger. "It was my grandmother's. I hope you like it, I—"

"Shhh." She silenced him with another kiss. "It's perfect."

They kissed for a few moments before Logan pulled away. "You're really lucky that December 3rd fell on a weekend this year. I, for one, was willing to do this with an audience," he sighed dramatically, "but, alas, just us." He pulled her close again.

"Just us works for me!" she said and squeezed him tight.

Veronica shivered a bit at a gust of wind and Logan released her to take her hand. He pressed a kiss onto the ring on her finger as he pulled her back toward the parking lot.

When they arrived at his aging Xterra, Veronica couldn't resist opening the door to the backseat, rather than the passenger door. "We had _a lot_ of fun in the backseat of this car in this parking lot...you know, back in the day. Care to join me back here…you know, share the romantic nostalgia while making _new_ memories?" She smiled at him and licked her lips invitingly.

She was surprised when Logan looked hesitant. "Well, as much as I'd like to keep it _just us_ , my Dad and Alicia just _might_ be waiting at their place with a half dozen of our closest friends," he said, looking conflicted. "You know, to celebrate the future Mr. and Mrs. Mars."

"Veronica Mars? That sounds so strange." She laughed.

"Really? I think it has a certain ring to it. It sounds like the name of some sexy noir detective, down on her luck, fighting the good fight…" He looked down into her eyes and must have seen her skepticism, "No?"

She shrugged. "Veronica Mars...maybe it'll grow on me," she stated, pulling him until his upper body was in the car. "So…about this back seat." she patted next to her.

"But…engagement party…Mama Leone's…" he began. Veronica let her jacket slide off of her shoulders and then reached to the waistband of her shirt and pulled it over her head. "Then again, the party is for us, so they can't start until we get there." He pulled his own shirt over his head and pushed her across the Xterra's backseat with a grin.

* * *

**Late Summer 2010**

Logan waited nervously. He'd arranged for the hotel to set up champagne and dessert for them on their private balcony. They'd been warned that it might not be possible to see the Northern Lights due to overcast weather at the resort, but tonight called for clear skies. So Logan had surprised Veronica with an after-dinner hot stone massage, hoping it would give him enough time to get his surprise ready for her.

Their wedding had been small and very private. So far, the press hadn't gotten wind of it, much to Logan's relief. It had been hard enough for Veronica not having her mother there; if the tabloids started rehashing everything…well, Logan was just glad that it hadn't happened. It was actually part of the reason for their choice of honeymoon destination. Iceland didn't exactly scream honeymoon, but they wanted to go somewhere they wouldn't be hounded, which eliminated a lot of the more typical destinations. The Blue Lagoon resort was beautiful and no one seemed to know or care who they were. It was perfect.

Room service arrived and quickly set up the table. Logan was pleased to see that they even laid out down coats and a heavy blanket on the deep lounger for the cold. He hoped that Veronica would enjoy the surprise.

xxx

Veronica stepped out of the steam shower. Her massage had been glorious, and she felt like any tension left over after the long day of travel to get to the resort was finally gone. She was pretty sure that Logan was up to something but knew it could only be something good, so she let him have his surprise and had willingly gone off to be pampered. Of course, now it was time for her to head back to their room, and she could feel her excitement building. She knew the forecast had said that the Northern Lights should be visible that night, and she suspected the surprise had something to do with that.

Waiting for Veronica in the changing room was a wrapped box with a card bearing her name. She opened the card first; it simply said, 'put me on'. Inside the box was a pair of red satin pajamas with VEM embroidered on the pocket. She smiled; the package and card reminded her of their wedding day. Logan had left little gifts for her throughout the whole day. Though that day the best gift from him had been her sister. Since Aaron's death, her relationship with Trina had been rocky, but Logan had convinced Trina to come to the wedding at the last minute.

Veronica pulled on the satin pajamas and complimentary robe and then headed back to their room. It all still felt so surreal. Some days she was convinced it was all a dream. She had Logan, his family, which was now also her family, and she was rebuilding her relationship with Trina. It was more than she'd ever thought she'd have.

Veronica opened the door to their room to find the lights dimmed and no sign of her husband. She walked through the shadowed room toward the balcony and then spotted him.

"Mrs. Mars, would you care to join me for some champagne and chocolate...um...I think this is cake?" his little seduction game was broken by their ambiguous looking dessert.

Veronica laughed and stepped out onto the balcony. "I definitely want to join you." She stepped into his arms and snuggled her head against his chest. "Thank you for the massage and the new PJs, though I'll admit I was expecting something a little more risqué," she teased.

"Not to worry, I have more presents for later," he said softly, resting his head on top of hers. "Now come over here; I've got a whole little thing set up." Logan pulled her onto the big lounger with him and then moved the dessert tray closer to them. A few lit candles provided them with light since the main lights around the resort had all been shut off. Just as Veronica settled in, she saw the first tendril of green light dance across the sky.

She leaned back against Logan and let him feed her bites of the chocolate cake. He managed to smear across her lips more than once, which of course required kisses. All the teasing was starting to get to her when she spotted the extra blanket that the staff had left. Veronica quickly moved the food tray back to the table and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. She crawled back to Logan and straddled his hips, pulling the blanket close around them both.

"You can't see the sky if you're sitting like this," he said huskily, his hands coming to rest on her hips.

"I dunno, I think this view is mighty fine." Veronica pushed Logan back against the cushions and began unbuttoning her pajama top, suspecting this was what Logan had hoped for. She pushed the top off and felt Logan harden beneath her. She loved him like this: fully focused on her...his heart in his eyes. Veronica brushed her lips across his softly, leaving a trail of gentle kisses across his cheek and down his neck. Her arousal growing with every noise of pleasure that he made. She made quick work of his henley and pressed their bare chests together as she went in for another kiss.

"I think you might be onto something. This view _is_ beautiful," he whispered against her lips. A moment later Logan pushed her hips slightly away from him, lifting her up so that she was kneeling above him. She missed the contact immediately but groaned when he placed open-mouthed kisses down her sternum and across her breasts while his hands had moved to her pajama bottoms. He untied them and pushed them down her hips until they were bunched at her knees. Veronica tried to shift around to work them the rest of the way off, but Logan stilled her and continued kissing down her chest and stomach, gently bending her backward until she was lying on her back. She watched Logan pull her pants the rest of the way off and then kiss his way up her leg.

"Look up," he hummed against her inner thigh. Veronica turned her gaze to the sky where lights danced, appearing and retreating in the blink of an eye as Logan built her up with languid kisses and soft strokes until Veronica felt like she couldn't take any more.

"Please, Logan," she moaned, wanting him so much.

He kissed his way back up her body and rolled them so that she was back straddling his lap. Veronica lifted up and let gravity pull her down onto Logan. The sensation of him filling her almost pushed her over the edge.

Logan started to rock their bodies together, and goosebumps shivered across Veronica's skin as much from the cool air as from the way Logan touched her. She had no point of reference, but she was positive there wasn't another human being who could make her feel the way he did. She took his lips in a hungry kiss, trying to put into her actions how much she loved him and how happy she was that he would be her partner for the rest of their lives.

Veronica's whole body trembled in pleasure with Logan following just moments behind her. He held her against his chest and sighed into her ear, "I love you, Veronica Mars."

               

* * *

**Summer 2013**

Veronica cut the tape on the next box in the pile and pulled away the peanuts and bubble wrap to reveal several brightly colored tiles and two somewhat lopsided bowls.

"What'd you find, Bobcat?" Logan asked, his arms wrapping around her middle.

"The past." She felt a smile pull her lips and handed Logan one of the tiles they had glazed on their date at Catalina Island the day after the, now infamous, Piz event.

"Wow, no kidding. I haven't seen these since we graduated from UCLA. Were they in storage all this time?"

"Yeah. We left a lot of stuff in storage." Veronica ran her fingers along the glassy surface of a tile she had decorated. The abrupt pressure of a wet nose on her leg reminded her of Logan's words all those years ago. She reached down and scooped up the wiggling puppy. "Look at what mommy and daddy made." She held up the tiles.

"I told you we'd show these to our kids one day." Logan smirked, clearly remembering their first real date on Catalina Island.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Larkin is our _singular_ four-legged child. I still can't believe you talked me into that name." Veronica smiled down at the awkward puppy, all paws and ears.

"Come on, you love the name. Our little Larkin looks just like her namesake," he chuckled, pressing a kiss to Veronica's head and then the puppy's. "When did all these boxes arrive? I thought everything had already been moved in," Logan said, turning to the pile to check it out himself.

"This morning." She set the puppy back on the floor. "You were in 'noise-canceling headphone mode', so I don't think you heard them." Logan had been going back and forth between wanting complete silence, blasting music to fill the whole house, and using headphones while he studied for the bar.

"Where shall we put them?" Veronica looked around the large living room. Over the last month, the house they'd purchased had slowly transformed from blank slate California beach house to their home. It had taken some time for them to balance the new furniture they'd chosen with the pieces they'd purchased for their New York apartment. Now, rummaging through the things they'd left in storage in LA while they were back East for Logan to attend law school at Columbia was fun. The personal items from their past were rounding out the space nicely.

"Hm...maybe wherever we put the 'relationship' memorabilia stuff? Were you planning to put our wedding photos and the stuff from graduations and family events somewhere?" Logan asked, pulling open another box.

"I hadn't really thought about it. I guess we could make a display or something," Veronica said, staring at the walls on either side of the fireplace. _Could work..._ she thought, seeing all the blank space that would need to be filled.

"Holy shit! Look at this." Logan held up two Neptune High 2005 yearbooks, their junior year.

"Wow." Veronica held her hand out for him to hand her one. Logan obliged, and she began flipping through.

Logan let out a low whistle and turned the copy in his hands to face Veronica. "I haven't thought about Meg Manning in years."

"That's Meg Manning-Enbom now," Veronica said, tapping the picture.

"Really? When did that happen?" Logan asked, turning to the next page.

"Last summer. There was an announcement. I think Alicia is who told me. Meg's little girl, Faith, is seven now," Veronica said, turning to the next page that included a large sports spread with Duncan Kane featured prominently. "What ever happened to Duncan?"

"According to Lilly, he's living like he's still a teenager, bouncing around all the different regional offices of Kane Software. He has no relationship with his daughter, and from what I gather, that's probably for the best," Logan said sadly.

After they had exposed him at the poker game, Duncan hadn't come back to school, and Veronica couldn't remember actually seeing him in person since. Lilly on the other hand, had gone off to Vassar and grown up. So much so that Veronica had actually been talking to Lilly recently about the various philanthropies she worked with to learn more about what the current state of aid was for battered and abused women. Veronica wasn't ready to explore her own experiences, but after all that had happened, she'd found a common ground with Lilly, even if Lilly didn't know it existed.

Logan kissed her temple and brought her attention back to the yearbook in her hands. The next picture featured the Casablancas brothers. Dick ruffling Cassidy's hair playfully.

"Do you still think I did the right thing?" Veronica asked.

"Of course I do. Woody Goodman ended up in jail."

"Yeah, but Cassidy didn't. And he hurt people, too," she said, leaning heavily against Logan.

"A few years in a juvenile detention facility isn't a walk in the park, and he is a registered sex offender. He can't ever get out from under that. Sometimes we have to accept the wins we can get." He kissed the top of her head. "I have him on alert, and I'm betting the Kanes have someone keeping an eye on him, too." Logan snapped the yearbooks shut and dumped them back into the box. "Enough memory lane. We have people coming over soon and a puppy to track down. Time to make new memories."

 

* * *

**December 3, 2014**

"I'm home!" Veronica heard Logan call out wearily from the doorway.

Veronica craned forward to look at him from her spot in the kitchen and frowned when she leaned over and took in his tired and stressed expression. She watched as he set his laptop bag down on the ledge in the entryway, tossed his suit jacket haphazardly on top of it and dragged himself into the main living space, an excited hundred plus pounds of Larkin trotting at his side. Sometimes she worried about him. Logan was all heart, and working on sensitive cases, like the ones he did, took its toll on him. Determined to lighten his emotional burden, Veronica quickly filled a wine glass and walked out into the family room to greet him.

She found him sitting on the sofa, one hand rubbing his temple and the other idly petting Larkin, whose head rested in his lap. _No this will not do._ "Hey, love," she began.

Logan immediately popped his head up, obviously surprised to see her. "Oh, hey," he lightened up immediately. "I didn't hear you coming." He plucked the wine glass from her hand and took a large gulp before placing it on the coffee table in front of him. Then he pushed Larkin's head out of his lap and pulled her close. After a moment of silent squeezing, he sighed deeply. "Wow, I really needed that!"

"Tough day? Is the trial over?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"It was and it is. It's just so...hard. I mean, the work I am doing is so important, but with some of these kids...well, best case scenario doesn't always look so hot," he admitted grudgingly.

"Nothing is worse than an abusive situation," she told him, pulling back to look into his eyes. "Nothing is worse than coming home and not knowing what's going to happen to you. I was lucky in a lot of ways."

Logan looked at her, incredulous.

"Aaron was gone a lot. I had that. And food and people to take care of me...an education. I had my mother, kind of. And later Conner...and you." She gently smiled at him.

"I _still_ can't believe I didn't tell my dad right away. I _still_ regret that—" Veronica opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. "Every day, Veronica."

Veronica tried desperately to phrase things correctly. This was a biannual conversation they had, but she didn't want to do it tonight. Tonight was special and he was too tired. "We were kids. You did so much more than anyone else did. You still do. You and Conner—"

"It wasn't enough...I should have—"

"And now you are. You're doing it for so many kids. They need you. The firm hired you because you're the best. And you're the best because you care. Because you're you. You gave me hope and now you're giving hope to those kids, too."

"I know. I know I do a lot, but talking to these kids makes me worried for the thousands of others that I don't know about," he insisted, letting go of her to pick up the wine glass again.

"If you do that, you'll drive yourself crazy," she warned.

"Too late!" he said, half-jokingly as he leaned in to kiss her deeply. "I didn't mean to ruin our night. Dinner smells great, though I'm sort of scared that you cooked. You don't have bad news for me or anything, do you?"

"I have a lot of news, actually. I don't think it's bad news. I guess you'll have to be the judge of its status as good or bad."

"Well, let's hear it!" Logan said, finishing the wine and turning to give her his undivided attention.

"Help me get dinner onto the table, and I'll spill," she promised, tugging him up by the hand and leading him into the kitchen. She'd been plating their dinner when he'd walked in the door. Once in the kitchen, she handed him his plate, filled up his wineglass and grabbed a glass of water for herself. She set Larkin's bowl on the floor on her way out of the kitchen to prevent begging puppy looks during their special dinner.

"You used the china?" he asked, looking at her curiously.

"Dining room," she commanded playfully. "I cooked...I used the good china! It's a momentous occasion! Now, scoot."

He kissed her temple, keeping his arms wide to protect their dinner, before he turned and exited the room. Veronica followed him. She giggled when he stopped short at the sight of the set table with candles burning.

"Now you've really got me worried," he remarked dramatically. She rolled her eyes. "Are you dying?" he asked. She shook her head, loving the suspense she was building. "Am _I_ dying?" he snarked.

"You might, if you don't move your cute ass to the table and sit down, Logan Mars!" she demanded, keeping a smile on her face.

He speed walked to a seat at the table and looked at her expectantly.

"Geesh, if you keep this up, I'm going to get a complex. I cooked for you just last week," she insisted.

"Top Ramen doesn't count. Even though we both love it." He grinned at her.

"Fine, I knew that today was a big day for you, so I wanted to do something nice—" at his intake of breath she threw him her sternest look and continued, "As I _was saying_ , I wanted to do something nice for you. It also _happens_ to be December 3rd…" She let the statement hang, happy he was surprised but not wanting to make him feel bad.

Logan face-palmed. "Wow, you're right. I've been so busy at work that….how many years has it been, now?"

"Ten years!" She grinned. "I've put up with you for ten years!"

"I'm so sorry, we should have done something special."

"Hush! I'm serious. Tonight is a happy night. You can make it up to me later...in bed," she teased.

"But, I should remember—"

"Enough of that, mister. I didn't remember the date when you proposed on this day five years ago; now, dig in!"

Logan and Veronica ate slowly, reaching out to touch each other from time to time. They laughed a lot and smiled a lot. Over the years they'd found a rhythm. They'd learned how to discuss their past without letting in the demons. Logan had made a motto of it. "Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure," he'd quoted eight Christmases ago. And they'd always strived to do that.

When dinner was done and the dishes loaded, Logan pulled her to the couch, his eyes dark and predatory. But Veronica had other plans.

"Whoa there, Romeo. The news I alluded to before wasn't our ten year meet-cute-a-versary," she announced, pushing him hard on the chest to put some space between them. She needed to concentrate to get through this next part. "I wanted to talk to you about a little project of my own."

Logan rubbed his hands together. "I knew there was more! Now we're getting somewhere. What's the project?" he asked, rubbing his hand up and down her upper thigh.

Veronica took a second to collect herself, unsure of where to start. "Circumstances have changed in such a way that…" _No, too impersonal._ "I've been thinking about my mom a lot lately." She stopped and shook her head. _Nice, there, Debbie Downer. It's almost as if you hadn't planned this speech for the past month, Veronica_ , she chastised herself.

"Well, this whole idea had started out as a daydream. Like, literally a daydream. When I was alone in the car or when you I would jog in the morning...basically whenever I needed a break from whatever I was supposed to be researching at the time, I'd have this...why do things always sound so silly when you actually say them out loud?" she asked, cringing at her own ramblings.

She looked up to see that Logan looked confused. "You can always talk about anything with me. It's the tenth anniversary of your father's death, the sixth Christmas since your mom..." he didn't finish the thought, but moved his hand off of her leg and took her hand. "Keep going, Veronica. I won't think it's silly," he promised as he squeezed her fingers between his encouragingly.

"I've always worked for other people, you know. Helped other people with their documentaries, and this time I want to make one of my own. From start to finish...I want to get funding and hire a staff and just attack it." She kept her eyes on their joined hands, willing her nerves to steel. "Logan, I want to help people the way you're helping people."

Logan lit up. "That's amazing. A documentary about kids? I'm sure the Children's Advocacy Institute has a lot of contacts. I've learned so much from them. They're local, Veronica, they could—"

"I was actually thinking more along the lines of adults—women. More specifically, my mom...well, women like my mom, anyway. Something about the long term effects of mental and physical abuse and maybe its role in drug abuse. I have a plan in my head, but I know the process will take me in a totally different direction once I start, so..." She stopped to breathe for a moment. "Logan, when you found that picture of me and my mom from when she was on Broadway and framed it…" She could feel her eyes getting misty.

"I'm sorry I made you sad." Logan reached out and touched the side of her face and then pulled her onto his lap. She melted into him, both grateful for his support and frustrated with herself for needing it.

"You didn't make me sad, _she_ did. Aaron did. What Aaron did to her still makes me sad," she whispered into his neck. "And mad. She wasted away before my eyes, and I was too busy keeping myself safe and…"

"Shhh…" Logan soothed, rubbing his hand in circles on her back. "You can't blame yourself. You were a victim, too. You were the child."

Veronica shot up and looked him in the eyes. "I know that. I really do. Logically, I mean. But I want to understand it. I want to delve into the psyche of the abused and find women that have handled it better and find out why and how they did it. What interventions worked and why. I'm sure personality traits are involved, but if I could expose the signs and speak to other women and children of these women...I think I could help someone. Any number of people who weren't victims or children surely sat on the sidelines while she...lost herself. I want to understand."

"I can't believe that you think that's silly. Or that I would think it's silly," he responded thickly, looking so deeply into her eyes that she forgot her fears for a moment. "And, even though I believe it will help people, I think even if you do it just for you, it will be worth it."

Veronica laughed, "Some people go to therapy...Veronica Echolls Mars makes a movie. How cliché: the daughter of two film greats tells all." She shook her head.

"As if you'd ever make an exposé about your life," Logan challenged. "You're too classy for that. Besides, this is bigger than Aaron Echolls and Lynn Lester; this is powerful. I know you'll do it right."

Veronica found herself at a loss for words. Logan always knew exactly how to make her feel better.

"Do you want to get away for a while after Christmas?" Logan inquired. "Starting next week, things will be slow for me until the new year. We could sneak away...maybe see some friends. Or we could go somewhere just the two of us. I know you'll think about your parents wherever we are. And that's okay."

"That would be nice," she answered, leaning into him again. "Let's stay close to home this time, though. But I don't really associate my mom with Christmas; not since I was little. She was usually gone, Logan. I think the main reason I've been thinking about my mom so much is—No, you know what? I'm going back to the original plan." Veronica slid off of his lap and walked back into the dining room and plucked a small, brightly wrapped gift off of the buffet. She was almost giddy as she walked back over to hand it to Logan.

"But I don't have anything for you," he protested.

"This isn't a real gift...it's just an ornament, silly, open it!" she urged.

Logan smiled at her and began pulling at the paper. "We don't even have a Christmas tre—" He stopped, his eyes obviously taking in the silver picture frame ornament and it's meaning. "Is that?"

"Yup," she smiled at him, waiting for his usual, emotive reaction. When it didn't come, she leaned into his side and clarified. "That little jelly bean," she pointed to the blurry shape in the middle of the sonogram, "is our baby!"

" _Our_ baby?" Logan asked finally, his eyes not leaving the ornament in front of him. Veronica should have been excited that Logan had found his voice, but the unexpected, almost detached, response only made her nervous. She was about to ask if he was okay when his left hand moved from the frame and came to rest on her abdomen. "Wow," he whispered.

"Wow, good? Or wow, bad?" she asked tentatively. "I told you earlier, it was for you to decide. I, for one, am scared as hell, but just as excited." When silence was his only response, she began to worry again. "Logan, say something."

The urgency in her voice must have brought him out of his stupor. He looked surprised as he turned to face her, his eyes finally meeting hers. She saw that they were as shiny as hers were and she smiled, feeling relieved. "Those had better be tears of joy, bucko, or—"

He didn't let her finish. He brought his lips to hers in a crushing kiss. "Sorry. Wow, good...wow, very good!" he smiled down at her. "I love you so much. You've never been more beautiful than you are at this moment. You and me, Veronica. Together. Always."

* * *

**December 25, 2016**

Veronica watched as Olivia and Jack toddled about with a smile on her face. Mac's warm presence leaning against her as they watched their children.

"That day you gave Wallace and Logan baby oil has brought us full circle," Mac teased.

"It's funny how life happens," Veronica agreed.

"They look so much alike." Wallace's eyes crinkled as he squinted looking down at them.

"They're first cousins, what did you expect?" Logan asked, coming into the living room.

"But Veronica and Charlie look nothing alike!" Wallace insisted.

"Heterozygous parents and recessive trait inheritance," Charlie explained.

"No, no, don't go all teacher on me, Charlie. This is my week off," Wallace complained.

Logan chuckled, dropping to the floor and wrapping an arm around Veronica. "You do realize that we're all actually related now."

Mac groaned from Veronica's other side. "My nightmare is reality, we live in a cheesy romcom."

"No cheesy comedy here. Just romance," Logan whispered in Veronica's ear and then tickled her lightly.

"Oh pookie, our lives are a comedy of errors." Veronica laughed. "Think about how we met. What if I hadn't been the savvy Hollywood type that I am. No baby oil and our Wallace here might still have scars. If you hadn't found those papers when you were pretending to look for secret wall panels while we were packing up my dad's office we might never have known about Charlie."

Charlie smiled softly. "She's right, Logan. I probably wouldn't have tried to make contact. And I would never have met Mac." He knelt down and kissed Mac's temple.

"No, Mac is why we have you in our lives at all. What if she hadn't figured out that other guy was an imposter?" Logan squeezed Veronica tightly.

That had been a trying year for them all. Aaron had barely been dead a year, and, against Keith's wishes, Logan and Veronica had moved in together rather than live in separate dorms. Then Lianne had shown up, trying to insert herself back into Logan's life, only to steal from them before disappearing again. Lynn's descent into depression, Trina's—

"Auntie V!" A little redheaded girl ran into the room and threw herself into Veronica's lap, skinny freckled arms wrapped around her neck.

"Where's my hug?" Logan pouted and the little girl leaned over and hugged him without leaving Veronica's lap.

"Better, Uncle Lo?"

"Much. Now where is that wayward mother of yours?" Logan asked, ruffling her hair.

"Right here." Trina walked gracefully into the room. Her hair now in a sleek short bob that matched the seriousness of the character she was currently playing on a Law & Order spinoff.

Veronica gently urged Dakota into Logan's lap and stood. "It's good to see you, Trina." Veronica wrapped her arms around her sister.

"You two, little sister. You look good." Then her voice dropped to a whisper, "Happy?"

"More than I ever thought possible. You?" Veronica asked, holding Trina close. In the years since Aaron's death they'd had their ups and downs but they made a point of always checking in. Then, after their wedding and Dakota's birth, they'd worked hard to be closer.

"Better when I'm here," Trina said softly, pulling out of the hug.

Veronica smiled and looked around her living room at her strange family and realized she'd done it. She had everything she never knew she always wanted.

* * *

**February 2018**

Veronica gripped Logan's hand. She'd done so many of these red carpet walks over the years, but now was different. For the first time this was about her. And she was feeling completely out of sorts. It didn't help that baby #2 was doing somersaults.

A rather exaggerated kick drew Logan's attention, his hand flying to her protruding belly. He kissed her softly and whispered, "Future soccer player, I think." A round of flash bulbs followed.

Veronica sighed, feeling like their intimate moment was being violated, but it wasn't like there was anything private about walking the red carpet at the Academy Awards.

"Don't worry, Bobcat, we'll be inside soon." Logan kissed her again and got her moving to the next marker.

" _Veronica! Are you excited for the baby? Is it a boy or a girl?"_ a reporter shouted.

"We're very excited and we don't know. We like a good surprise," Logan responded, which was, of course, a lie. They knew it was a boy, but there was no way they were going to share that with the media.

Veronica eyed the end of the press line like it was a desert oasis, but at the rate that everyone was moving, and with their impromptu baby kicking moment, it would be an hour before they reached the end. Veronica turned pleading eyes to Logan. He'd gotten so good at handling these things over the years, something about being a trial lawyer...the press was insignificant to him.

Reporters threw out more questions, but Logan stepped out of the line and walked up to a person with a clipboard. After a few whispered words, 'clipboard guy' stepped forward and pointed to the far side of the press line then ushered another group of people into the spot Veronica and Logan had been occupying. Veronica happily let Logan pull her tightly into his side and rush her inside.

He leaned down. "I told them you had to pee immediately." He smirked down at her.

"You know there aren't many redeeming qualities about pregnancy, but that is officially one of them. I'm actually surprised it isn't the truth." She laughed.

"Give it ten minutes and it will be. You're not wearing ridiculous underwear right? I don't want to have to go into the bathroom with you again." He joined in her giggling.

"Nope. Lesson learned. I'm not wearing anything under this." She winked at her husband, knowing exactly what that would do to him. It turned out that the other truly redeeming quality of pregnancy was her increased libido.

"Mmm...Mac and Charlie have Olivia, and I booked a room downtown for tonight. Any chance you want to find a dark corner? You know, to tide us over," Logan whispered huskily as they entered the theater and were directed to their seats.

"This isn't the MTV Movie Awards. And I'm a nominee. What would your father say?" Veronica turned completely serious eyes on Logan.

"Um...way to go, son?" Logan laughed. "Remember when he and Alicia showed up—"

"How could I forget? I was mortified!"

"Eh...it wasn't that big of a deal."

"You had me spread out on the table—"

"Veronica Echolls? Logan Mars?" A voice asked behind them pulling Veronica from one of her more embarrassing memories.

"Yes." Veronica turned to find herself facing their past.

"Carrie Bishop?" Logan asked.

"It's Bonnie DeVille these days, but yes. Look at you two. The American dream, huh?"

"Point five right here." Logan grinned, caressing Veronica's belly.

The lights in the theater flashed. "I guess that's our cue, huh? It was nice seeing you both. Maybe we'll see each other at an after party," Carrie said before wandering away farther back in the theater.

"Seat filler?" Logan asked.

"She's probably someone's date. I think she has an album getting ready to drop." The lights flashed again and they took their seats, ready to sit through the long event.

The evening passed slowly for Veronica. The dress she wore was loose-fitting, thank goodness, but even though the chairs were comfortable, her body began to ache. She fidgeted constantly, trying to arch herself in the seat a little to ease her throbbing lower back.

"Relax! I've never seen you this nervous before," Logan whispered into her ear.

"I'm not nervous at all; I'm miserable. I need to get out of this chair for a bit," she whined. " _Your_ son's butt is wedged against my ribcage and his head is on my bladder. How much longer?" she asked.

"Oh _my_ son, is he?" He laughed and ducked his head to address her abdomen. "Elliot, give your mommy a break for a few minutes; it's a big night for her." Then he turned his attention back to Veronica. "Not too long. I think you're category is up next," he said, pushing her forward a bit so that he could rub her lower back. "This is your big moment; try to enjoy it."

"Thanks for the back rub. And, to answer your question, yes, he's only my son when he's doing cute things like hiccupping. He's yours when I can't breathe! And it had better not be my big moment, because I think they're going to need a crane to get me out of this chair, and I'd prefer _not_ to do that on camera," she reminded him and then perked up. "Shhh...that's Conner on stage. Wait...what did he just say?"

"They're introducing the nominees. Don't forget to smile when they say your name or the entire place will see you grimace on the big screen," he reminded her, pulling his hand from behind her back and taking her hand instead just in time.

She managed to look demure for the cameras, despite how stiff she was feeling. _Oh good, just one more moment and I'll get to run out to the lobby for a breather,_ she thought. She turned her attention to Kerry Washington and Conner on stage as they opened the oversized envelope.

"And the Oscar goes to…: Veronica Echolls Mars for Unlocking Lynn!"

Logan was instantly on his feet, cheering wildly. She looked up at him, disbelieving. _What?_

Her mind was still reeling when Logan stepped out into the aisle to pull her to her feet. "Madame, Mars Crane Service, for your lifting pleasure," he said, smiling brightly down at her.

"Do not let go of me until I'm up those stairs," she begged, taking his arm as he escorted her to the steps of the stage, where Conner met her at the bottom and helped her climb slowly.

Veronica gave Conner a long hug as she accepted the Oscar and then took her place at the microphone. "Wow, that was a long walk!" she joked, looking out to the crowd and trying to buy herself a second to catch her breath. "I really don't know where to start. This documentary was the culmination of so many things: years of dreaming, planning, collaboration, research, patience, tears…" She took a deep breath and continued, "I never liked talking about my upbringing, even when I was a kid. Everyone was always so interested in the exposé that I never felt like I got to tell my story. It took me many years to realize that it was a story that was all too common and that mine wasn't the real story that needed to be told.

"Years of systematic psychological abuse at the hands of my father led to my mother's downward spiral. What began as a glass of wine at the end of a long day turned into a bottle...then, when that wasn't enough, liquor and pills...then more...and eventually led to her taking her own life years after her abuser had lost his." Veronica heard her own voice crack and cleared her throat. "As a child, I didn't appreciate the sacrifices that my mother made to protect me. She sacrificed herself for me...so that I was safe. And no one should ever have to do that." Veronica paused, waiting for the applause to die down and hoping that she could pull herself together. "So this award, unlike all the others that my family has received, isn't dedicated to her. Because she's safe from abuse; she's free. This award is dedicated to all the women who live with abuse right now. It's dedicated to all the kids who live in fear everyday and don't want to go home and to all the people out there who suspect that their friend or neighbor or colleague is suffering and who need courage to step in and do something. Don't wait; get help now.

"I want to thank everyone who helped me with this...you know who you are. I'm running out of time, so I'll just mention my top few: Conner Larkin...my best friend and personal savior, Keith Mars...who taught me how real fathers love their children, stepchildren and his son's girlfriend." She winked. "To Wallace and Mac, who have been my technical support since 2004." Veronica smiled and willed herself not to choke up. _Only one more name to go_. "And to Logan Mars...my husband, and the best father ever. You stepped into my nightmarish Twilight Zone when anyone else would have taken off running for the hills and turned my life into a sappy romantic comedy. You fight, every day, for the rights of people who can't fight for themselves. Aaron Echolls may have been an action movie hero, but you're a real-life hero. You're my hero. I love you." And to the theater at large she said, "Thank you!" before slowly making her way off of the stage.

     pretend that's Logan ;)

* * *

**Summer 2020**

"Livy Mars! You're standing too close." Wallace's panicked shout was so loud that Logan could hear it from out on the ocean. He spun around on his board, his eyes searching the shoreline.

He watched Veronica look up from where she and Elliot were building a castle in the sand. Wallace was on his way to Olivia, but Logan saw that his father had already taken action. Keith tucked his granddaughter under his arm and carried her back away from the breaking waves.

 _The crowd's growing restless; it's time to call it a day,_ he realized. "Darrell, I'm going in," he called to his brother, who nodded and turned his board toward the beach, too. The men took their time paddling in, but the waves made the journey a quick one.

"I was watching Daddy; I was being careful," he heard Olivia whine.

"Yes, honey, but this isn't like the beach we were at yesterday; this isn't a children's beach. We came to this rough beach so your daddy and Uncle Darrell could surf for a while before dinner. We have to be careful; you know that," Keith said sternly.

"We don't want to lose you, Livy!" Wallace smiled at the girl and pulled her in for a hug. "You scared me!"

"I'm sorry," Olivia grudgingly said before ducking out of his arms and tromping off through the sand. She collapsed next to her mother.

Logan looked over and met Veronica's eyes, knowing that Veronica wanted to comfort the little girl, but would stay strong. Their daughter had a sweet nature, but had inherited her mother's stubbornness. He was sure that Veronica would claim that particular trait was more Mars than Echolls, _but she'd be wrong,_ he laughed to himself.

Veronica grinned up at Logan and then looked to Olivia. "Why don't you help Elli pick up the sand toys, Livy? We can get back to the condo and clean up before dinner. Tonight's our special night…"

"Dinner on the beach?" Olivia asked, sounding hopeful.

"Yes! The big celebration," Veronica said excitedly. Logan could see that the enticement worked. Olivia's attitude had changed immediately, and she began to clean up.

Logan unzipped and shed his wetsuit and then joined in helping everyone clean up.

"Thanks for coming to the rescue, Pops," Logan said as Darrell took the beach blanket from Keith's arms.

"She's headstrong, like her parents." Keith chuckled, shaking his head. He ducked down, picked up the rest of the beach things and began walking to the car. Logan waited for Veronica and Wallace to round up Olivia and Elliot and followed with his surfboard and wetsuit.

xxx

It took a while for them all to get showered and changed. Once they were all ready, it was nearly time for dinner, so they headed straight from their condo out to the beach.

Veronica was pleased that Alicia had relented and allowed her and Logan to pay for the dinner on the beach to be catered. It was a special occasion—well, several special occasions—and Veronica hadn't wanted Alicia to stress about preparing the special evening, especially in an unfamiliar kitchen.

She smiled when she saw the beautiful table set out for them, complete with torch lighting and a wooden frame covered in billowing, loosely draped fabric. Beyond the beautiful scene, Alicia and Keith Mars were standing out near the surf, holding each other and looking out over the ocean. She set Elliot down in the dry sand with some toys. He immediately began rolling cars over the sand and Olivia went to work carving out a road for her brother to use.

Veronica and Logan took the opportunity to join his parents. They'd just reached them when they heard a commotion from the path that led to the beach.

"Here comes Hurricane Cody." Logan snickered when Wallace and his wife Melanie came into view. They were chasing their almost-three-year-old back onto the path. When Cody took off again, it was Darrell, who'd been taking up the rear, who chased him. "Wallace has got his hands full there," Logan added with a grin.

"Oh and you wouldn't know _anything_ about that, now would you?" Alicia joked playfully.

"What are you insinuating, Alicia?" Veronica asked, feigning shock. "I'll have you know we made it a whole day yesterday without having to deal with one tantrum from our children," she added smugly.

"We had them all day! You guys went to the village!" Keith interjected.

"Like I said, _we_ made it a whole day without dealing with a tantrum." She indicated herself and Logan, and the group laughed.

When Wallace and Melanie joined them, the group all took turns embracing.

"Happy Anniversary!" Veronica said to the two couples.

"Happy Anniversary!" they chorused.

Just then, Darrell joined them. "What about me?" he asked expectantly.

"Happy graduation!" Veronica and Logan yelled in tandem.

"I'm so glad we all got to sneak away together for a few weeks," Keith said. "I think this deserves a toast." He pulled the boys off to collect the champagne flutes from the trays that the wait staff had magically presented at the perfect moment.

"It's a milestone year for all of us. Fifteen years ago, this beautiful woman before me…" Keith indicated Alicia, "became my lawfully wedded wife. Five years later, my oldest son married the love of his life, and, five years _ago_ , my troubled middle son—"

"I take it that's me? Logan's like four months older than—"

"Shh…" Keith chuckled. "As I was _saying_ …five years ago my second son, _Wallace,_ married the woman of _his_ dreams." Melanie smiled shyly. "And this past May, my youngest son graduated with honors from USC."

Veronica didn't think she'd ever seen Keith this content.

Keith continued, "I'm so proud of you all. I can't believe I got this lucky. You've filled my heart with love and my house with laughter. I couldn't ask for a better family! So cheers to the Mars-Fennel brigade on a milestone year. There isn't any place I'd rather be than here with all of you tonight."

"Hear, hear," Logan replied and everyone followed suit. Flutes clinked and everyone hugged again after they took a sip.

A thud from back on the beach drew their attention, and Veronica turned to see that Cody had dumped the bucket of cars on Livy's perfectly constructed roadway.

"That's okay, Cody, I can make it again," she said patiently. "Just be careful this time."

"Oh, look at them, the picture of cousinly love." Alicia sighed wistfully.

"Yeah, until one of them throws sand or hits the other with the shovel," Veronica replied cynically.

"Now what are _you_ implying?" Logan asked, aghast. "Are you suggesting that we are…that our kids are…dare I say it…oh, what's the word for it? Ummm—normal?"

Everyone laughed.

"Normal…what a concept!" Logan said as he gathered her to him, pressing their bodies together. She smiled over her shoulder at him and he kissed her lightly.

"Hey, don't knock normal," Keith warned.

"Oh she wouldn't dare! Normal is her watchword. It's what she always strived for," Logan teased.

"Not anymore…now normal is overrated. Now I just want to be…well, us!" she said, happy.

"I'll drink to that," Wallace said, leaning in to cheers with them all again.

* * *

**August 2032**

Veronica rolled out of bed before the alarm went off. It was funny the things that changed over the years: waking early to deal with kid things, scheduling filming and editing around soccer games and piano lessons. And then there were the things that didn't change, she thought, looking over at Logan. In sleep he still looked so much like the teenager he was when they first met, face soft and sweet, the face of her savior.

Veronica walked around to his side of the bed and placed a gentle kiss to his pouty lips. Logan stirred and reached for her, pulling her to his chest.

"Bobcat, the alarm hasn't gone off yet. Come back to bed, I need more spooning," he said sleepily.

She let him hold her tightly for a few more minutes but knew that this was an important day. Veronica squeezed Logan and whispered, "No more sleep; we have a big day, my love. Neptune High will now have both of our spawn gracing its hallowed halls."

Logan's eyes remained closed, but his lips twisted into a smirk. "I always knew this place was the hellmouth; maybe our children will be the key to opening it." His eyes peeked open. "Or do you see them as the heroes in the story? Olivia does kind of look like Buffy, and maybe when Elliot fills out, he could be like Angel...though…" He trailed off.

"Let's skip the weird supernatural fiction comparisons for today at least." She kissed him and crawled off the bed. "Any chance you want to make some bacon? Maybe pancakes? I want today to be great for them both. It's Olivia's last first day of high school and Elliot's first first day! I don't know, it just feels like we should be doing something special."

"I took today off," Logan said, rolling out of bed as well.

Veronica turned back to face her husband. He sat on the edge of their bed, hair mussed, wearing only a pair of boxer shorts—a concession he'd made after the kids got old enough to open doors. He was more muscular than he'd been when they'd met, and he'd only become more attractive as they'd gotten older. But maybe she was biased. Veronica walked back to the bed and moved into the V of Logan's legs. "The whole day?" she asked.

"The whole—" Veronica moved for a deep kiss, the kids' breakfast could wait…

xxx

"But, Mom, Aunt Mac said Maddix was a spoiled—"

"What did I say about eavesdropping?" Veronica scolded.

"That it is an important component of the investigator's arsenal, obviously!" Logan said, flipping the next batch of pancakes onto a plate.

"Ugh! You're ridiculous. This is your influence!"

"I proudly accept responsibility. And if I remember correctly, you've been involved in a caper or two, yourself." He winked, pouring more batter onto the griddle.

Veronica smiled at their two children. "Maddix can't help who her parents are or that they're naming choice was kind of cruel." _What had they been thinking—Madison and Dick mixed to be Maddix?_ Veronica sighed, and hoped that her children's experience with their generation's Casablancases was better than hers.

"You both should just be glad Aunt Mac and Uncle Charlie moved back to Neptune and that Jack and Sammy are here now. First cousins are built-in friends! You know what I had to do to make friends my first day here?" Veronica teased. Of course they both knew about how their parents had met, but she liked to use it as a reminder of what a good life they had. They had parents who loved them, a big extended family and cousins their ages.

Olivia pulled out her purse. "Baby oil and a stun gun. It doesn't get much more prepared than that."

"When do I get a stun gun?" Elliot asked.

"When you prove to be enough trouble to warrant one." Logan grinned at Veronica.

"That is not a challenge, Son." Veronica smiled warmly, coming around the island and wrapping an arm around their youngest.

"Besides, Elli, if any one gives you a hard time, I'll kick their as—um...butts. No one messes with a Mars," Olivia boasted.

"Well said!" Logan turned with the last of the pancakes. "But please stay out of trouble today. I have a date with your mother, and if your grandfather or Uncle Leo have to call to have us bail one or both of you out, it's going to kind of kill the mood." He winked at them.

"Gross, Dad!" Elliot yelled.

"I think it's sweet. Be thankful, Elli, we could have parents who hate each other," Olivia said, a shit-eating grin on her face. "What...I was a good girl and did my summer health class reading. I just want to remind you that, unless you plan to give us a much younger sibling, you should be safe and remember—"

"Lalalalala—" Elliot held his hands to his ears.

"We'll be home by 4:00 p.m. so that we have plenty of time to get read for dinner with Uncles Conner and Leo." Olivia grabbed her backpack and pulled Elliot off of his stool. "Time to go, baby brother. And just think...by the time I graduate, you'll be old enough to have a learner's permit."

Veronica smiled, gave them both quick hugs and shooed them out the door. She stayed in the doorway, and watched them pull back out of the driveway with Logan fitted to her back, his head resting on top of hers.

"We did good didn't we," he said.

"Yeah. I think we did."

**~ THE END ~**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Thank you all for sticking with us for the whole story! We are so pleased with the response we got and all the feedback. It honestly exceeded our expectations. We have spent many months reading each other's stories, and had tossed around the idea of writing something together, but when this topic came up we latched onto it and the rest was a whirlwind.
> 
> Writing together was amazing. Not only did we get to run everything by someone before, during and after each part, we got instant feedback (always nice), a very fast edit (even better), and, most importantly, someone to bail us out when we got stuck. For some reason, the two of us have an (almost uncanny) ability to pick up where the other left off. Several times, one of us started a section, got frustrated and sent a flustered text to the other saying, "I've got NOTHING." And somehow, the other person was always able to pick it up right where it was and finish it. A few times, one of us would write the first and last parts of a section and call in the other to figure out how to bridge the gap. Only once did we interpret something in our outline differently (in our defense, both legitimately worked with what the outline said...in different ways), and somehow we just shuffled all the parts we'd written around and they pieced themselves together. Even now, sometimes we have trouble remembering who wrote what sections...and we love that.
> 
> Don't get us wrong, there were a few frantic texts like: "Um...I think I just hijacked their first kiss two chapters too early…", "So...Meg's pregnant!", and "Conner just blurted out that he's gay to the Mackenzies...is that okay?" And we usually went with it.
> 
> There are so many directions we could have taken this story, but we hope you like our take: our "little" fic with "short chapters" that we wrote in under three months. We may have a few fresh ideas in our (collective) head (okay, so there are outlines), but we're going to take our time, as our families like to see the whites of our eyes occasionally...and sleeping more than just a few hours a night sounds heavenly right now. :)
> 
> Thanks again for all of your kind words and support. You made all the hard work worth it.
> 
> Merry Christmas!
> 
> ~~ kmd0107 & Bondopoulos
> 
> For those of you who are curious about the actual process we used, here is an outline. And if you have any questions we are more than happy to chat about this!
> 
> We began with the basic concept and made a pretty detailed outline (with LARGE holes in it) that fit into our proposed timeline. We would then break chapters down by section in a shared document...label each section, and whomever felt had a vision for that section would just go for it. We wrote in different colors...always editing the other's work immediately. When we were satisfied that a whole chapter worked as a unit, we changed the color...then we both edited it again (and changed the color again). Then Bond's husband gave it a once over (bless him) for glaring problems and then we each gave it a final read….or ten.


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